Complex Connections
by Citation-2
Summary: 7th story in the "Reconnection" AU. A series of encounters with family members, friends and foes bring new challenges and dangers in the relationship between Gibbs and Tony, as Gibbs' vampire nature stirs and makes everything more complex. SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome all to this new installment of my "Reconnection" series. This is by far the most complex story I've written in this fandom. I've basically re-worked several episodes of Season 7 to fit them in my Vampire! Gibbs/Tony AU. I've used the dialogue of the episodes because I've always liked to give different meaning to what we heard (or saw) on screen. I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed reading it._

**Complex Connection(s)**

**By Gunnery Sergeant**

_This is 7th story in the Reconnection universe. It starts eleven days after "Vengeful Connection", and will cover several (but not all) Season 7 episodes starting from "Outlaws, In-laws". This tale will deal with other aspects of "my" vampires' nature and society, but it's foremost a Gibbs/Tony story, and about they interact with people around them._

_This story assumes that you have seen the NCIS episodes mentioned in this story and that all scenes not specifically altered herein, occurred as they were depicted on screen._

Thank you to **Finlaure** for the beta reading!

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**1-Outlaws, In-laws **

"_Get here ASAP. We've a situation in San Diego involving your boat."_

The cryptic phone call from Vance had awoken Gibbs just an hour after he had gone to bed. He was alone, because Tony was out having dinner with a couple of his college friends who were in DC for a brief visit.

His mate had been looking forward to their visit for several days, and Gibbs hadn't had the desire to ruin his evening. That's was why he had called Ziva to cover in the office, before he, Ducky and Vance had boarded a cargo directed to California.

Now, hours later, Gibbs stood on a pier watching as the _Kelly_ was loaded on a van and prepared for transportation to Washington—and wondered what the hell what was going on.

He had sailed the boat down to Mexico the previous summer and left her to Mike, who had then transported her to his Baja home. It had been Gibbs' first vacation since his "retirement" three years before, and it had been a solitary one. Tony would have loved to go with him, but it hadn't been possible because he had to lead the team in Gibbs' absence.

The vampire had gifted the _Kelly _to his goddaughter Amira, but it was a given fact that he could use her any time he wished. It was the perfect solution for everyone. The little girl had the boat she had been pestering her grandfather for and Gibbs had a place where to keep the _Kelly_, one that didn't cost a quarter of his pay check.

But now the _Kelly_ had popped up in the San Diego harbor with two dead men on board and Gibbs couldn't even imagine what kind of trouble Mike was now in. He hoped that, wherever they were, his old mentor and the girls were fine. Gibbs also hoped that this mess wouldn't be too hard to clear, because he was still recovering from his face to face with Eli David and his Kidon vampire and his nerves were still as tense as a bowstring.

Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet?

**XXX**

Tony and Gibbs were in the older man's kitchen, cleaning up after their dinner. They had discovered they both liked to cook, but only if they had someone to share the meal with. If they were alone, they preferred to stick with take away food.

Tony swept the counter near the sink a final time and said, "So Jethro, any idea of what is going on with Mike Franks? Or where he is?"

Gibbs shook his head as he put the plates in the dishwasher.

"Doesn't he have a cell phone?"

"Nope. I told him to get one more than once, but he didn't listen. He's a stubborn bastard."

Tony smirked and muttered without malice, "It takes one to recognize one."

"I heard that," Gibbs said with a glint in his eyes that the younger man considered a small victory. His partner had been silent and brooding for the whole meal.

Deciding to keep on amusing the vampire, Tony wondered aloud, "In a situation like this one, don't you wish you had a mental connection like the one between us with the others?"

Gibbs turned around to face him, and replied, "A connection like ours would imply Mike is my mate too, and personally he isn't my type at all."

Tony made a disgusted face at the mere idea of seeing Franks naked, "Yeah, I see your point…and atop of it, I don't think I would like to share you with Mike."

Gibbs closed the dishwasher, and tilted his head on the side as his eyes took an intent look, "But you wouldn't mind sharing me with someone else? Someone that's more to your liking?"

Tony feigned to give the question a serious thought and answered, "Well, I think I wouldn't mind too much if it was Angelina Jolie. And I believe she wouldn't be against it either. I mean, you're way hotter than Brad Pitt. The actor, not my doctor. Not that you aren't way hotter than my doctor too, Boss." Tony threw a glance at Gibbs, prepared to duck to avoid the head slap he was pretty sure would come, but it looked like his partner had fallen again into his thoughtful mood.

Sighing, Tony put away the damp rag he had been using to clean, and walked to the older man, pulling his unresisting form in his arms for a hug. Gibbs pressed his face against Tony's neck, as the younger man caressed his back, willing him to relax and let go.

Tony liked it when Gibbs let him carry part of his burdens, as his life partner or just as a co-worker.

Unfortunately getting the vampire to let go was a very difficult task, if not almost impossible. But Tony knew a great way to make his boss relax.

"Why don't we go upstairs?" he asked against Gibbs' silver hair.

"Now? Isn't it too early?"

"You need to relax, Boss, and forget all this mess, if only for a while. Franks, Vance, the boat. Everything. And I know how to ensure that."

Gibbs snorted against his neck, "Your massages are good, Tony, but I don't think they would be enough today."

"Wasn't thinking of massages, but of a long, hard lovemaking session, the kind that leaves us exhausted and boneless and makes us sleep like logs 'til morning. Are you up to it?" Tony teased, sliding both his hands down Gibbs' back to grab his denim-clad ass. He pulled his partner closer to him, making the vampire feel that he was more than up to it.

"We can't," was Gibbs' slightly breathless answer.

"Why not?" Tony asked, surprised. They hadn't had sex since the night Gibbs had almost died after fighting Eli David's vampire at the abandoned mine, and that had been eleven days ago. Barring the time they had been separated while Tony was agent afloat or on loan to Mossad, it was their longest dry spell, and he wanted it to end..._Now_.

"'Cause someone forgot to buy the lube," Gibbs replied, raising his head and swatting Tony's ass with his hand.

The younger man cringed. It had been his turn to buy their supplies, because he had complained the last lube Gibbs had bought was too oily and difficult to clean off, even with a hot shower. So his vampire lover had told him to buy one he liked, but not to dare to return with something smelling like vanilla or strawberries. Tony had nodded, said he would take care of it…and then promptly forgot it.

Tony looked at his watch. It wasn't very late, and there were still several stores open in the area.

"I'll go buy it now," he said, letting go of Gibbs.

His partner stepped back and looked at him, amused. "You want it that much?"

"Nah, I want _you_ what much." Tony gave a quick kiss to the older man's cheek and retrieved his jacked from the back of the chair where he had put it earlier in the evening. "I'll be back ASAP."

"I'll be waiting."

"Good. I don't want you to start without me…this whole thing works better if we do it together," Tony winked, inordinately pleased when Gibbs laughed out aloud.

Oh god, how much he loved that laugh!

**XXX**

Gibbs watched Tony walk briskly toward his car and depart as if he was chasing a suspect, and shook his head with a fond grin. But then his smile disappeared as he wondered what the hell had pushed him to ask his mate if he would share him with someone else.

Tony, of course, had taken the question as a joke and hadn't realized how intent Gibbs had been in listening to his answer.

Gibbs had never approved or understood the appeal of the so called _ménages a trois_. He was a strictly monogamous guy who had never ever cheated on his partners, not even after he had discovered one of his ex-wives in bed with another man upon his return from his stint as agent afloat in the Mediterranean. He hadn't seen anyone, not even when his marriages started going downhill, staying faithful to his vows until the divorces had been finalized.

So what had caused this sudden, keen interest in Tony's answer? And why he had been disappointed when his mate had taken it as a joke?

Gibbs shook his head, frustrated by his inability to understand himself, and went down in the basement to work on his current project as he waited for Tony. He was building toys to hand out at Christmas to the children in a nearby hospital, and he hoped working with the wood would settle his mind as it usually did.

As he walked by his workbench, his eyes fell on an old photo stored in an open box and he picked it up. It showed him and Mike, both of them sporting silly grins and holding two big fish.

Gibbs had just put the photo back in the box when he heard the front door open and close and…was it a child talking?

He ran up the stairs, his acute sense of smell recognizing Leyla, Mike's daughter-in-law, even before he saw her. Little Amira was in her mother's arms and his mood brightened upon seeing they both looked well.

"It's okay," Leyla said as she saw him. "We're here." She turned toward her daughter and continued, "Look, Amira, it's your godfather. Can you say hi?"

Gibbs smiled and reached out with his arms, picking up the little girl. "Hello, Amira. Welcome to my home," he said, before leaning forward to kiss the young woman's cheek.

Leyla, thinking he was wondering where Mike was and not knowing the vampire had already smelled his old mentor, said, "He's right behind us."

Gibbs nodded and gave Amira back to her, before tilting his head toward his small study. "You can put her down in there."

"Thank you," Leyla answered, walking away with her child.

Gibbs then turned around and found himself face to face with a tired looking Mike Franks carrying a backpack and a suitcase.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds and then Mike exclaimed, "You going to stand there glaring at me, Probie, or you going to give me a hand with the bags? Or you going to shoot me?"

Gibbs didn't feel like helping Mike with his bags. From what he heard from Abby, the _Kelly_ hadn't been in the sea when the gunfight had happened, but it had probably been put in the water and steered toward the States in order to attract the US authorities' attention and get Gibbs involved. That wasn't something the vampire was feeling very grateful for. So he said, "No, I thought I'd ask you a few questions first. Then, I may shoot you."

"All right," Mike replied sullenly, dropping the bags by the door.

"Need some answers, Mike," Gibbs pressed.

"All right!" the other man answered, more loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" Gibbs hissed, not wanting to alarm Leyla or Amira, "Those two men you killed, why were they after you?"

"Damn, Probie," Mike answered, and Gibbs could see the sincerity in his eyes, "I was hoping you could tell me."

Gibbs pursed his lips in a flat line. Great, this was gonna be a hell of long night. So much for Tony's plans … Tony! He would be home at any moment. The vampire thought about alerting him about Franks' arrival, but Mike's comment, "Have you lost your tongue, Probie?" made him realize he had no time to talk with his mate, not with his old mentor staring at him like a hawk.

"Come, let's have a seat," Gibbs said, walking toward the old table in the dining room. He watched as Mike picked up the bottle of Maker's Mark and two glasses from the cupboard, and joined him at the table. His friend poured the liquor in the glasses, gave one to Gibbs, and then began to speak.

"Saturday, I popped in the cantina for a mescal. The bartender, Eddie, tells me a couple of guys had been asking around. Looking for a gringo and two girls. Claims he did his best to lead them astray."

"You didn't know them," Gibbs commented, arms crossed over his chest and looking closely at the other man.

"I'd never seen either of their faces before they showed up on my beach Monday afternoon."

"But you were ready for them," Gibbs interjected.

Mike nodded, as he began touching his jacket, testing the pockets. "I knew what they wanted. I could see the cannons tucked in their backs."

"Don't even think about it," Gibbs almost growled as he realized what Mike was looking for, his cigarette pack.

His friend gave him a resigned look and continued his story. "I didn't feel great using Amira's boat like that, but I couldn't risk being investigated by strangers...Or worse even, the _federales_."

"So, you steered them at the Navy," completed Gibbs.

"If you're going to be investigated, better it be by a friend," Mike said simply.

"Thanks for the honor," was the vampire's sarcastic answer.

"You don't sound too grateful."

"You know, Mike," Gibbs said deceptively softly as he leant forward on the table and stared hard at his old mentor. "I'm used to shells and bodies and cover-ups as your big finale. Something starts off like this; I don't even want to think about the count."

"You can't pin all the past capers on me, Probie," Mike commented. "Not all those messes were mine."

"Where were Leyla and Amira?" Gibbs interrupted him.

"You don't think I'd start throwing shots with my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter not safely tucked away, do you?" Franks retorted, clearly irritated Gibbs had even suggested that. "I'm not a child."

"No, you definitely are not," the vampire agreed.

"You calling me old?" Mike asked, affronted.

"I'm saying there comes a time to hang up your spurs," Gibbs said reasonably. He cared for Mike and wished he would live long enough at least to dance at Amira's wedding, but that wouldn't help if the older man didn't learn that he had to be more cautious.

"I won't need you or anybody to tell me when that is. I'll know. 'Cause I'll be dead," Mike commented with a snarl.

"I hate when you talk like that," interjected Leyla, who had approached the table.

"I wouldn't do anything to put my girls in danger," Mike said resolutely. "That's why I brought them here. And if you can't find out who's after me and why, then I've got no choice, but to-"

"Mike... Do not say it," Leyla interrupted him.

"Ain't I allowed to say anything?" Mike complained, sounding so much as a petulant child that Gibbs would have smiled hadn't the situation been so serious.

"He's threatening to leave us," Leyla explained to the vampire, her eyes begging with him to do something to change the older man's mind. "He says it is the only way to keep us safe- to stay away."

"When Liam died, I made a promise to my son and to myself," Mike said in soft tone, before continuing more fiercely, "I protect my family."

"Well," Gibbs commented, sipping some of his bourbon, "from here on, you leave it to the professionals."

It was then, in the silence that followed, that the front door opened and Tony stepped inside, saying cheerfully, "Here I am! I had to visit three places, but I finally found it, Jethro. A nice lube that will be good in me and won't irritate you with some strange smell. So why don't you use it to give me a good pounding?"

.

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Opps! Tony, you really made a "_Grand entrée_"! Let me know what you think, and remember, reviews make me update faster!


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to Lucy for the review!**

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Tony entered the living room triumphantly waving the bottle of lube and promptly froze in mid step when he took in the scene in front of him.

Gibbs was trying desperately not to blush crimson and choke on his bourbon while Mike stared at Tony mouth agape, and Leyla looked at him puzzled, perhaps because her understanding of the English language wasn't perfect…or maybe because she just thought – or hoped – she had misunderstood.

Tony hid the bottle of lube behind his back and tried to cover his embarrassment with humor.

"Well, Boss, I guess you found Mike." Then he silently accused, /You could have alerted me!/

/I had no time to do it. The conversation was rather serious./ "He found me."

Gibbs then stood up and introduced Tony to Leyla. Then, blessedly, she decided to go and check Amira, leaving the vampire and his mate in Mike's company.

The former agent looked at them for a while, then muttered, "Well, I'll be damned, Probie, but this is a surprise. Don't you have a rule against dating co-workers?"

"I do, Mike, but we aren't dating. We're together for good." Gibbs answered, taking a step closer to Tony.

Mike's eyebrow arched. "You live together?"

"Not yet, but soon. When I retire."

"You really sure?"

Gibbs glared at Mike while Tony opened his mouth to protest, but his old mentor spoke again. "You really sure you want to wait so long? I know you, Probie, you'll never retire. You'll fight to remain with tooth and nail and he," the older man tilted his head toward Tony, "will fight at your side. I think you should move in together now, and not give a damn about what Vance might say."

Gibbs looked at Tony, sharing his surprise with his mate. While he knew Mike was an open minded guy in certain matters, he hadn't expected him to be so enthusiastic.

"So I guess you approve?" Gibbs asked just to be absolutely clear.

Mike stood up and nodded. "Sure I do. I saw how happy you were this summer in Mexico, Probie. You smiled, you laughed—and you kept looking in the direction where DC was. Back then I remembered thinking you might have left someone behind, and now I know I was right." The older man patted Tony's shoulder. "Keep on with the good job, keep him happy…but keep the noise down while we're here, there are things I _really_ don't want to hear…" Speaking so, Mike walked out of the room to join his family, while Gibbs and Tony looked at each other.

The younger man moved his hand to get to the hidden the lube behind his back and showed the small bottle to Gibbs. "You heard the man, I must keep you happy. So, what do you say if we go upstairs and try not to make too much noise?" Tony asked, waggling his eyebrow suggestively.

"I say we're wasting time," Gibbs answered with a low growl.

His worry about Mike had somehow receded, and the vampire was now acutely aware of how long it had been since he had last been inside his mate or tasted his sweet blood. It was time to remedy to that.

"Upstairs," Gibbs ordered, his fangs already descending, and Tony was only too happy to obey him.

**XXX**

Once in the bedroom, the door closed and locked behind their backs, Tony threw the lube in the general direction of the bed, and stepped closer to Gibbs, pressing a light kiss against his lips enticingly. He had seen his partner's eyes had darkened at his words down in the living room, and he knew it would take just a little to make his passion explode.

Tony was proved right. Jethro's control snapped, his mouth plundering the younger man's depths as his strong arms held him captive. Tony met the vampire with equal force, seeking to master his mouth as Gibbs pursued his own.

Gibbs' rough hands made quick work of Tony's shirt and jeans, his blue eyes darkening with lust as he took in the lack of underwear. Then, as Tony got rid of shoes and socks, the vampire did the same with his clothes, until they were nude, slightly sweaty and painfully erect.

Gibbs stepped closer, bared his fangs, and gently used them to nibble at the muscles connecting Tony's neck and shoulder. A loud moan escaped the younger man's lips. He loved when his partner bit him like that, and a large hand came up to cover his mouth.

"Quiet," Gibbs whispered, before he separated from Tony. He moved to the bed, his strong, lean body moving with that gracefulness the younger man often compared to a jaguar's. It was body to be admired, but also to be feared. He could turn deadly at any moment … but not with Tony, never with Tony.

The younger man followed his partner and crawled up the mattress, using his hands to trace Gibbs' well-developed legs, from his calves to his thighs, lingering there briefly before trailing his fingers farther upward, to the taut balls and proud cock awaiting him there. Tony reached out and took the bottle of lube he had thrown on the bed before, and opened it. He dripped the lube on Jethro's cock, smirking as his partner groaned when the cool liquid touched his over-sensitized skin.

"Quiet," he echoed Gibbs' earlier command to him, and then proceeded to caress, stroke, pump and squeeze the cock in his hand, using all the knowledge he had of his partner's body and most sensitive spots to make him moan and groan again.

But Gibbs was the kind of guy who didn't like to lose, ever. So he took his lower lip between his teeth, fangs gleaming against his skin and locked his eyes with Tony's, as the younger man kept on teasing him.

Sweat appeared on Gibbs' chest and brow, as he not only resisted the urge to vocalize his pleasure, but also the need to move his hips in rhythm with Tony's hand.

The younger man was amazed by his partner's will power, but he knew the breaking point was near, and he didn't want Gibbs to come in his hand. Tony wanted Jethro to fill him, and so he regretfully let go of the hot cock he had been teasing.

The moment his hand loosed his hold, Tony saw a blur of movement and before he knew, he found himself flat on his back, with Gibbs' body covering him and pressing him down so much he could barely move.

/Payback time,/ Gibbs growled in his mind as he took possession of Tony's mouth, his tongue pushing past his teeth as he explored the dark recesses within.

One calloused hand buried itself in Tony's hair, holding his head still. The other hand slipped between their bodies to pinch lightly at the younger man's nipples or rake blunt finger nails along his ribs.

Tony moaned, but the sound was swallowed by Gibbs' kiss, as the continued to plunder his mouth.

Streaks of fire spread across Tony's body, when Jethro's lips replaced his hands. The talented mouth moved down, trailing kisses, licks and bites along the column of his throat and his chest, until it reached the younger man's nipples.

Tony cried out when Gibbs used his fangs on him, the sharp points raking against his hardened nipples in a way that never failed to drive him wild. He cried out and kicked with his legs, trying to buck against the body holding him down, but the hand over his mouth muffled his voice, and Jethro laughed smugly against his chest.

/Bastard!/ Tony managed to say with his mind.

/I know…but admit it, you like me this way./

/I won't admit anything if you don't move and get the hell inside me. Now./

Gibbs laughed again, but after a last nip to Tony's right nipple, he rose on his knees and reached out for the bottle of lube and squeezed a generous amount of it in his hand.

"Quiet," he repeated again as his left hand wrapped around Tony's shaft, moving leisurely up and down, while his right one slipped between the younger man's thighs.

Tony spread his legs as wide as he could as first one, then two fingers slid inside him, caressing, coating, stretching him, making him ready for the bobbing cock he kept on staring through his half-closed eyes.

/Now, please,/ he begged, and Gibbs nodded, removing his hands from Tony's groin to use them to guide the younger man's left leg around his waist, while he raised the right one against his chest and over his shoulder.

Tony gripped the bedspread when he saw Jethro take aim and push forward. His mouth opened with the need to cry out his pleasure as his lover managed to hit his prostate at the first thrust, but he remembered at the last moment to turn his head and muffle his cries against one of the pillows.

Gibbs thrust slowly for a while, and Tony moved with the same rhythm, enjoying the give and take of their love making. But all too soon the need to go deeper, harder, faster overwhelmed both of them. Jethro let go of Tony's right leg, and leant forward, using his hands to brace himself as his tongue invaded his mate's mouth again, in a dark dance that mimicked the rhythmic thrust of his hips.

Tony let go of the bedspread and gripped both of Jethro's arms, his fingers digging deeper into the biceps there as the stroking inside his body and the friction of his lover's hairy belly against his cock pushed him closer and closer to the edge.

And when the moment came, Tony couldn't restrain himself, he cried out aloud, and who the hell cared if Mike Franks heard that. He was in ecstasy and he wanted the whole word to know it. And he wasn't alone: Jethro thrust a final time, fell forward and low growl that reverberated into a full blown roar as his fangs broke Tony's skin, taking his fill of blood as he had just done of his mate's body.

Slowly their breathing began to even, and Gibbs pushed himself up and off of Tony, slumping by his side with a move that, for once, wasn't graceful at all. The vampire looked fucked-out just like Tony had meant him to be.

Grinning to himself, Tony managed to find his legs and stagger to the bathroom, where he cleaned himself – happy to see his choice of lube had been a good one – and then returned to the bed, where he quickly wiped down his partner.

A couple of minutes later Tony, with some cooperation from his slightly more reactive boss, had them tucked under the sheets and ready for sleep.

"Well," he said with a satisfied sigh, as he turned on his side facing Gibbs. "I think Mike can't complain. He asked us to keep the noise down, not to not make any noise at all." But his words fell unheard, because the older man was already asleep and breathing deeply.

Tony smiled smugly to himself, and then closed his eyes, joining his partner in slumber.

**XXX**

The following day was full of twists and turns.

At first it looked like Mike had killed two men that had meant no harm to him or his family. Then it had turned out the two men, who had worked for Colonel Bell's First Defense PMC, had been indeed armed to the teeth and ready to use violence to kidnap Leyla and Amira and take them back to Iraq. After that there had been the confirmation of what Gibbs had felt in his gut since the moment Abby had found a bullet hole in the _Kelly _left by something smaller than a forty five caliber bullet. Mike hadn't shot anyone, he had just tried to protect Leyla, by shooting the dead men with his gun to mask the fact they had been killed with a rifle.

Gibbs' amusement at seeing Mike square off with Shada Shakarji, Leyla's tough as nails mother and the instigator behind the attempted kidnapping, was replaced by worry when it turned out Colonel Bell had reassured the woman the contract would be honored.

Blessedly, everything had ended with just a big mess in the vampire's house. One of the men Bell had sent to kidnap the girls had been Damon Werth, a former Marine Gibbs and his team had met a couple of years before, and who hadn't forgotten the people that had helped him.

Very late that night, with Colonel Bell behind bars and ready for extradition to Mexico, where bounty hunting was a crime, Gibbs and Tony were lying in bed, tired but still too charged up with adrenaline to sleep.

"So, the Iraqi virago is really going to live with Franks?" Tony asked, breaking the stillness of the room.

"At least for a while," Gibbs answered absent-mindedly, his mind elsewhere.

Tony snickered, "I'd like to be a fly and watch them. Mike looked like a man sentenced to death when Leyla asked him if her mother could go to Mexico with them."

"Yeah…" Gibbs replied softly, not reacting to his mate's attempted humor.

Tony rolled onto his side, propped up by his elbow and looked down at Gibbs, "You're miles away, Jethro. What is it?"

The vampire looked up at him, "I was thinking."

"About what? Colonel Bell? I know he's a dangerous man to have as an enemy, but hopefully he'll stay in jail for a long time."

"I wasn't thinking of him, but of Abby and Ducky."

"Oh," Tony commented with a frown. "Why?"

"They called me down in Autopsy today, for an intervention," Gibbs answered, looking at the ceiling. "They wanted to make me see how Mike was lying to me, something I already knew. The way they cornered me made me think of what they did to you the evening they told you were letting me drink from you not out of love but because it was somehow coerced."

Tony reached out with his hand to squeeze Gibbs'. "It's not the same. They just wanted to help you."

"Ya think? Didn't they want to just help you too?"

Tony frowned and looked straight into the vampire's eyes. "What is it, Jethro?"

Gibbs grinned slightly. "Always so perceptive. Okay, after our run-in with Eli David and the need to ask Bill to help 'cause I couldn't go to Abby, I've been thinking that maybe we could try to break the news about us to the team again. Not that I'm a vampire, just that we're together. I thought it would make it easier for both of us if we could count on them in stressful moments. I know I could have used some moral support after I had to leave you in Israel. I didn't need someone to talk to, just someone who understood." The vampire paused and looked at his mate, who encouraged him to go on with a nod of his head. "But after today, I can't rule out they wouldn't try another intervention to convince me or you that our relationship is wrong. So I think it's probably best not to say anything."

Tony nodded slowly. "I believe it's the right thing to do. Abby thinks you see me as a surrogate son. She told me so not so long ago. She would be shocked to know the thought never crossed your mind. And Ducky basically thinks the same. I remember years ago he said my bickering with Kate was an attempt to attract the attention of a father figure…" the younger man smiled, lost in his memories. "You entered in the Autopsy just as he was completing the line, and I remember thinking that while it was true I wanted to attract your attention and wanted your approval, I most certainly didn't see you as a father figure." Tony ran his hand down Gibbs' bare chest, caressing him. "I believe I already loved you, Boss, but I couldn't admit it to myself. At least not yet."

"Took us a hell of long time to admit it," Gibbs replied, looking up at his mate.

"Better late than never," Tony commented, and then yawned. "Time to call it a night. I'm dog tired and tomorrow will be a long day if we want to make your living room presentable again."

"Werth said he'll come to give us a hand."

"Least he could do since he caused this mess," Tony muttered, his wary tone showing he hadn't forgotten how Werth broke his nose during their first meeting. "Pity we can't put Colonel Bell to work too."

"Don't worry, the_ federales_ will take care really good care of him," Gibbs grinned as he reached out to switch off his bedside light. "Sleep well Tony," he murmured as he pulled his mate closer to him and kissed his forehead.

"You too, Boss."

And Gibbs did.

Did you like the hot action? I hope so…and this is just the start. There is more hotness ahead…Let me know what you think, and remember reviews make me update faster!


	3. Chapter 3

**2-Faith **

For far too many years, Christmas time had been all but a happy period for Gibbs. The excited children smiling at the decorated trees, the adults buying gifts for their loved ones or kids, the families getting together to celebrate… all of it had been just a reminder of what he once had and had lost.

But things had improved in the past few years. While some melancholy remained, there was also happiness in the awareness he had again a family to spend Christmas with. His mate and his father, the latter of who had announced he would come for a visit.

Gibbs wasn't convinced yet Jackson would travel all the way from Stillwater, but he hoped he would. He and his old man had never explicitly talked about the vampire's relationship with Tony, but his mate had told him Jackson had seemed pleased to know they were together—that is, after he had recovered from the shock of walking in on them while they were having sex.

The vampire couldn't imagine how embarrassing it must had been for both Jackson and Tony – who had spotted the older man watching by the door – while Gibbs had been blessedly unaware they had been observed. But everything had turned out for the best, and he was looking forward to spending time with Tony and his Dad. He and his mate had already planned the menu for the Christmas lunch at Tony's place and he was ready to bet his father would want to give them a hand too. Jackson could bake wonderful gingerbread biscuits…if he hadn't forgotten the recipe.

Gibbs grinned as he kept on cleaning his truck's front window from the snow that kept falling, until a car stopped in front of his house and a familiar voice attracted his attention.

"Merry Christmas, everybody!" his father was saying, as he got down from an unknown van. "Loretta, thanks for the ride. Bye-bye."

Gibbs put down the scraper he had been using and walked closer as Jackson told the mysterious Loretta to drive carefully and have a good time.

"Hey, Dad," he said with a smile, stopping in front of the older man. "I didn't expect you till tonight."

"Well, I like my pilots caffeinated and fresh," explained Jackson. "I caught an earlier flight."

"Yeah, but you should have called. I would have picked you up." God, why was this feeling so forced? Gibbs was happy to have his Dad here and yet he wasn't feeling completely at ease.

"No matter. I made it."

"Yeah, you did." A few moments of more uneasiness passed, and then Gibbs stepped forward and hugged his father, hoping fervently this awkwardness would disappear quickly.

Jackson returned the hug with enthusiasm, then stepped back and smiled at his son. "Too many years since I was here last," he said.

"Yeah. Whose fault is that, huh?" Gibbs asked rhetorically, since the fault was equally shared.

"We gonna do this again, son?" Jackson replied, looking straight at him.

_No_, Gibbs thought but didn't say. _I don't want to spend precious time fighting, not when every time I see you, you look older and more fragile_. "Come on in," he said instead, tilting his head toward his house. He opened the gate and picked up his father's suitcase, as Jackson preceded him, walking slowly along the snow-free but wet path leading to the house.

"Old place looks pretty good," he commented.

"Yeah, well, it could use a coat of paint." It really could, and Gibbs planned to do remedy when the climate improved.

"Couldn't we all?" Jackson joked as they reached the porch and stomped their feet to free their boots from the snow.

Gibbs smiled, opened the door and led his father to the living room, where he put down the suitcase.

"Well, look at this," Jackson commented as he took in the room, which Gibbs hadn't tidied in weeks because he had been too busy with work…and Tony. "Hope you didn't get all decked out on my account."

"Plenty of comfortable hotels nearby," Gibbs answered. He didn't want his father to feel uncomfortable, but with the hours he worked he had little time to do more than do the laundry and clean up. Sometimes he wondered if he should hire someone to take care of things a couple of days a week, but he didn't like having strangers around the house.

"I'll be fine just as long as I have a working clicker," Jackson said, dismissing the idea of the hotel.

"There's the clicker," Gibbs pointed to the coffee table then went to move his bike from where it had been standing in front of the TV, a clear evidence of how little he watched it, at least in his house. Since he and Tony had been together he had started watching more movies, but that usually happened at his mate's place, as it was furnished with a large plasma screen and a sound system that made the windows rattle. "No cable," he added as an afterthought.

"Color?" Jackson joked and Gibbs chuckled in answer. Tony had asked the same thing early in their relationship; only that the young man had really been worried the TV would be a black and white one.

"Okay, that's your bed," Gibbs said pointing to the couch where he had put a pillow and blankets the previous evening.

"What happened to the guest room?" his father asked, clearly puzzled.

Gibbs took a deep breath and simply answered, "It's not a guestroom anymore." He wasn't ready to explain his Dad he had been sleeping in the guestroom since Shannon had died and he had stopped using the master bedroom. Only Tony knew it, and Gibbs still remembered how hard his mate had hugged him after his revelation. Returning to the present, he pointed at the kitchen, "The, uh, the cupboard's not totally empty."

"Maybe I'll cook us something."

"As long as you prepare it for three and it's not your stroganoff, knock yourself out," Gibbs commented lightly, wanting to introduce Tony in their conversation.

Jackson's eyes visibly brightened even as he muttered, "What's wrong with my stroganoff?" A pause, then he asked, "Will Tony spend Christmas with us?"

"Yes, that's the plan. Are you okay with it?"

"Sure. It's good to be with family at Christmas," Jackson smiled and sat down heavily on the couch.

"You gonna be okay here alone?" Gibbs asked his father, feeling some of uneasiness recede now he was sure his father was fine with him and Tony.

"I'll be fine, yeah. You go to work. Death doesn't take a holiday."

Gibbs nodded, but all the same he took out one of his business cards and put it on the table near the couch. "I'll leave my number right here by the phone. You need anything, the Ericson family two doors down same side of the street, they're always home." There wasn't anything more he could do, and he had to go to work. Which reminded him of something he had yet to say, "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Should you meet someone of my team, remember they don't know about Tony and me."

Jackson tilted his head and frowned, "You think they wouldn't approve?"

"Yep, we do."

"Then my lips will be sealed."

"Thank you, Dad."

Gibbs was about to leave when his father talked again, stopping him mid-stride.

"Leroy…I'm glad to be here."

"Me too, Dad," And with a final smile, he turned on his heels and walked away. As his father had said, death and crimes didn't take holidays.

**XXX**

As Gibbs walked past Tony on the way out to get a truck for the frozen Marine in the park he told his mate via their mental connection, /Jack has arrived and was happy to hear we all will be spending Christmas together./

Tony was delighted because he really liked Jackson Gibbs. For him the man was the prototype of how a good father should be: warm, loving, caring for his son. Naturally the young man knew the older Gibbs was far from a perfect father.

Jackson and his son had had a lot of misunderstandings, and Tony was smart enough to know it wasn't just his partner's stubbornness or difficult personality that had caused them. The fault rested squarely on both of them, and this visit was another step Gibbs and his father were taking to patch up the wounds caused by incomprehension and seventeen years of silence.

Tony was even more delighted when his partner's old man showed up at in the office bearing gifts. The delicious, homemade candies were the best he had tasted in a long time.

Jackson was passing the box around when Gibbs returned from his visit in Autopsy, and Tony could see by the look he threw at his father that his partner wasn't exactly happy to see his old man in the office.

"Hey Dad, stop making my team fat," Gibbs said as he sat down at his desk.

"Gibbs, why didn't you tell us your father was coming?" Ziva asked, returning to her seat.

"I didn't think he'd actually show," Gibbs answered, then raised his eyes from the computer screen just in time to see Tony reach out to pick up another candy. "Go ahead, have another one, bubble butt," he encouraged with a strange glint in his eyes.

Tony did his best not to pout at his partner as he repeated mentally, /Bubble butt?/

Gibbs sent the equivalent of a mental snort along their connection and said, /You've gained weight, Tony. But don't worry, I like it, there's more of you to hold./

Tony had to bite his lip to prevent a smile from spreading on his face. Only Gibbs could transform a criticism into a demonstration of love. The young man was just sad he couldn't share it with the smugly grinning McGee, who was oh-so-very proud of the few pounds he had managed to lose in the past months.

"My metabolism is slowing with age. It's nothing a post-holiday cleanse won't cure," Tony said aloud. Then he added, just for his partner, /And you can start helping with that, right from this night./

Gibbs let out another mental snort, /Is _that_ what it is called so now? 'Post-holiday cleanse'? Not the most romantic of names./

This time Tony had to bite his inner cheek hard to avoid laughing out loud. He was inwardly envious of how his partner instead kept typing at his computer, cool and collected, without showing any hint of the amusement the young man knew he was feeling.

Completely unaware of the conversation Tony and Gibbs just had, Jackson gestured with the box of sweets. "Come on, it's just candy for the holidays. Homemade. Best in Stillwater," he added, trying to tempt his son.

From his desk Tony watched his partner look at the offered candies as if they were poisoned and wondered why he was reacting like that. Jethro liked sweets, although not as much as Tony.

"Ms. Hannigan, huh?" Gibbs said, standing up and staring at his father with a hard look. "She's been after you ever since Mom died."

_Ah, that's why,_ Tony said strictly to himself. He didn't know what had happened to cause the rift that had kept Gibbs and Jackson separated for seventeen years, but he was aware the problems between father and son had started long before Jethro had left to join the Marines.

And by the look on both men's faces, Tony guessed they still had many bridges to cross before they really made peace with each other and the past.

**XXX**

/Boss?/ Tony's concern washed over Gibbs through their connection.

/Yeah?/ he answered tiredly, watching dismayed as his father walked out of his house, angry and distressed.

/Is your house still standing?/ Tony asked. His mate knew Gibbs had rushed home after receiving a phone call from his Dad telling him, "He had almost burned his house down".

/Yeah. Fire squads were quick and didn't do much of a mess,/ Gibbs replied sitting down on his couch and resting his head against its back.

/And Jack? Is he okay or did you bite his head off?/

Gibbs sighed before saying, /I'm not sure he is okay and _he_ bit _my_ head off./

/Why?/

/I don't know. He had a weird reaction when he saw me put my gun in the safe in the living room. He told me to take the safe in another room because he didn't like having it near, and when I told him there was nothing to worry about, he became agitated and accused me of never doing what he says./ Gibbs shook his head, perplexed.

/Could he still be shocked by what happened?/

/Maybe…but my gut is telling me there is something else./

/Then follow it; it's always right,/ Tony commented, sending the mental equivalent of a shoulder squeeze along their connection.

/I will. I'll ask Ducky to check him./

/Good idea./ A pause, then, /Do you want me to come over for dinner?/

Gibbs thought a moment about the question, and then shook his head. /I believe it would be best if you don't come. I don't know in what mood he will be in when he comes back from his walk. I don't want you to be caught in a fight if he is still so belligerent./

/I could act as a buffer…/

Gibbs smiled, /I appreciate it, but no, thanks. Among the other things, I need to work on the toys, or they won't be ready for Christmas Eve./

/Oh, yeah, you'll have to play Santa for the kids at the hospital, while I'll have to face Delores Bromstead, the unsmiling Grinch of a woman that haunts NCIS. Can't we exchange places?/ Tony asked, all hopeful.

Gibbs laughed and exclaimed, /I can't believe the guy who squared off and won against Eli David is afraid of a clerk working in Human Resources!/

/But what if she is offended by my gift?/

/Then she's an idiot. Your gift is very thoughtful and you went to great ends to find her the best possible present. If she doesn't appreciate it, well, it's her loss,/ Gibbs answered, very serious.

/Ah, Boss,/ Tony exclaimed, /now I know why I love you. You're so good for my ego./

His mate was, as usual, trying to mask his real feelings with a joke, but his true emotions reached Gibbs all the same. Love, happiness, self-esteem, pride.

/You're a wonderful man, Anthony DiNozzo; you don't need me to tell you so—and I love you too./

/Jethro…/ Tony's mental voice was choked with emotion. /Are you really sure I can't come this evening?/

/Positive. But starting tomorrow evening we'll have forty-eight hours all for us./

/Okay. Good evening./

/You too./

The connection ended and Gibbs took a deep breath. He really wanted to spend a nice Christmas' Eve and day with his mate, and the only way to ensure it was to discover what was going on with his Dad. Thus he took out his cell phone and speed-dialed Ducky's number, with the hope his old friend would be able to help.

**XXX **

Tony watched, amused, as Gibbs carried a sleeping Jackson into his apartment's small guestroom and tucked him in bed after removing his shoes.

The older man had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace, probably worn out by all the inner turmoil he had carried inside himself for weeks, until he had found the strength to open up and speak with his son.

Tony had felt deeply for Jackson when Gibbs had told him what had happened to his father. The young man still remembered how he had felt the first time he had had to kill the line of duty, and the guilt that had plagued him for many days and nights. He was sorry Jackson had to go through it all alone, but hopefully his talk with his son would help him.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Tony asked when Gibbs left his sleeping father and closed the door of the guestroom.

"I think he will be, in due time. Ed Gantry told me Dad did the right thing. He saved those girls' lives and his own. In time he'll come to accept it, but it won't be easy," Gibbs answered, glancing toward the closed door.

"It never is," Tony commented, as they walked back into the living room and the still burning fire. They sat down on the couch, their sides pressed together as they stared at the flames. After a moment the younger man turned to look at his partner and asked, "Was your first kill in the Marines hard? Were you already a sniper or it was in a close combat situation?"

Gibbs turned to face his mate as he answered, "Actually it was during an infiltrating mission in Panama, in the middle of the night. A sentinel spotted one of the men in my unit and I had to silence him before he could raise the alarm. I used my bare hands on him, and I think I'll never forget the sound his neck made when it snapped."

Tony felt his stomach churn. "Ugh, that was really bad, and this isn't a topic suitable for Christmas Eve. You promised me forty-eight hours all for _us_, and I don't want to lose a single moment of them with these depressing talks."

Gibbs twisted his torso to face him fully. "So, how do you suggest we pass them?"

"Well, first we'll make out on the couch like teenagers while we watch 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'cause it's not Christmas' Eve without it. Then we'll go to bed and have sex – slow and sweet would be my preference for tonight, but I'm open to other suggestions—but only after locking the door, 'cause I don't want Jack to walk in on us another time!"

Tony beamed when Jethro pursed his lips and nodded, "Good plan. And slow and sweet is very appealing tonight."

The young man grinned as he stood up to put the 'It's a Wonderful Life' DVD in the player. With the 'Jackson Gibbs' Crisis' averted this was shaping to be one of the most beautiful Christmases he ever had, and all because of the man sitting on the couch and looking at him with unchecked affection.

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OK, mostly a fluffy chapter, fitting for Christmas time. But, as we say here in Italy, it's just the calm before the storm...Let me know what you think, and remember reviews make me update faster!


	4. Chapter 4

**3-Ignition **

Gibbs woke up in a bad mood that morning, with an acute, familiar sense of foreboding in his gut that told him something would happen that day. He hadn't felt it in almost three years, since the morning they had been called to investigate a dead Marine in an Arlington park and he had realized the man had been killed by a vampire. However, that discovery had started a chain of events that had led Gibbs to reveal his vampire nature and love to Tony, so now he wasn't completely pessimist about the outcome of today.

In the beginning, Gibbs thought his sense of foreboding had something to do with the news Colonel Bell had been released by the Mexican authorities due to some legal technicalities. But as the investigation of Lieutenant Commander Sawyer progressed, he realized his gut had been churning for an entirely different reason.

Gibbs knew M. Allison Hart was going to be trouble from the moment he first smelled her in interrogation room, even before she started chewing out poor McGee about how he had been handling Victor Tillman's interview.

She not only was a lawyer, a kind of people Gibbs avoided like the plague, she was also a vampire. A _female_ vampire, the first one he had ever met, beside his mother and daughter.

Female vampires were very rare for, due to some genetic quirk, their kin produced more males. Maybe it was due to the fact vampires had always been an 'endangered species' because of their low numbers and scarce fertility and, as it sometime happened to animals but also with humans in times of hardship, more males were born than females. Males were stronger and each of them had the potential to sire more offspring than a female could ever bear.

Female vampires were also said to hold a great power over the males of their species and Gibbs understood why the same moment he got a sniff of M. Allison Hart's scent. Her pheromones were far more powerful than a human female's. So powerful that he felt almost dizzy, not to mention aroused, because of them. No wonder that unmated female vampires were said to be cause of fights between males in the past! He was having a hard time keeping his mind on the job.

And her behavior didn't help him at all. Gibbs hated to be challenged by men, whether they were politicians, lawyers, other LEO's fighting for jurisdiction. But he always admired the women that challenged him, who were able to look him in the eye and give him a piece of their mind. The need to protect women was very strong in him, but he liked it when they could also defend themselves—even if, of course, he seldom liked what they were saying to him.

In fact, he didn't like anything that Hart was saying now, as she threatened McGee for accessing Tillman's financial records without authorization.

The young agent was throwing pleading glances at him, so Gibbs shook himself from his haze and stepped into the conversation.

"McGee," he said simply, as walked closer to the table.

"Let's go, Tillman," McGee replied, the gratitude in his eyes unmistakable as he stood up and led their suspect out of the room.

Once alone with the source of his current admiration and frustration, Gibbs worked hard to keep his reactions to her under control. She knew he was a vampire and he didn't want to betray the effect she was causing to him.

"Miss Hart," he began, "your client is hiding behind a lawyer. It makes me wonder why."

"I can see your mind is spinning, Mr. Gibbs," her amused eyes showing him she knew very well the effect she had on male vampires, "but once the hamster gains some traction on the wheel, and you figure out the questions you want to ask, you feel free to contact me directly. Not my client."

Something in the way she talked and looked at him made his gut churn. Her calling him Mr. Gibbs was a blatant show of disrespect for his title and his ability on the job making him want to growl at her and show her his fangs.

"I know you, Mr. Gibbs," she added, stepping in front of him. "I know you take any shortcut to a conviction."

"Really?" Gibbs asked, genuinely surprised, "Doesn't sound like me."

"You look the other way when your team hacks privileged information, when they break into a police impound lot and steal evidence, when they start a bar fight. Just out of curiosity...do you have any respect at all for the law?"

Gibbs' eyes narrowed more with each of her accusation. Who the hell was this woman? And why this attack sounded so personal, as if she was holding a grudge against him?

He needed to think about it…and he needed to do it away from her damned distracting scent.

So he opened the door and said, without looking at her, "You and your client are free to go, Miss... Hart."

"I know," she whispered as she passed by him on her way out, her scent enveloping him again.

Once alone, Gibbs closed the door and took a moment to compose his self. He knew he would meet her again in the course of this case. He promised himself that next time he was in M. Allison Hart's presence she wouldn't shake him as badly.

She was a dangerous opponent and he could not allow himself to be vulnerable in front of her. No matter how much his male vampire instinct told him female vampires were precious and in need of protection.

**XXX**

Tony knew M. Allison Hart was going to be trouble from the first moment he saw her and she called him Mr. DiNozzo even before he introduced himself.

She was a beautiful woman with long dark hair, icy blue eyes, refined features and a body to die for all enclosed in designer suit. Unfortunately, she was also a lawyer. More precisely, she turned out to be the lawyer of both their suspects in the Sawyer case.

His boss hated lawyers. He had four rules about them, the most important being number thirteen, 'Never, ever involve a lawyer'. Tony had often wondered if it had been written after one of Gibbs' divorces, or if it had another origin. One day he would have to ask Jethro about it.

As he watched his partner and Miss Hart square off first in the interrogation room, and then in Mrs. Tillman' warehouse, Tony came to the conclusion the dark haired woman not only was a lawyer, but also seemed set on irking his boss on purpose.

The senior agent wondered if the two of them had already met, and if the lady lawyer held a grudge against Gibbs. She certainly seemed to know him well – Tony too – but he could not remember ever meeting her, and he was pretty sure that even if he was almost pushing forty, his memory wasn't so bad as to forget a woman like her.

Whatever it was, Tony – and Ziva and McGee with him – began to wait for an explosion, because there was no way Gibbs would stay calm as Hart kept on subtly insulting him and blocking him from questioning the Tillman's. When the explosion failed to happen, Tony began to wonder what was going on.

It was then he noticed Gibbs' body language and realized the older man was thoroughly fascinated, if not downright attracted to the black-haired, blue-eyed lawyer.

Tony wasn't very surprised by it. He had guessed, by knowing Jenny and Colonel Mann and by Gibbs' talks about Shannon, that his partner had a thing for feisty types. Red-haired women were notoriously feisty and Miss Hart, although she sported a different color of hair, had plenty of fire too.

Tony didn't begrudge Gibbs for his fascination with Hart. He too was intrigued by her, but also wary, because, by what he had seen, it had looked like she had been provoking his partner on purpose, as if she wanted him to start a fight with her. Given the kind of lawyer she was, that would have had an ugly outcome for Gibbs. Maybe that was why his boss had kept himself in check and had not exploded as they had expected.

Later that evening, the case successfully wrapped up, Tony was alone in the squad room playing a game of solitary on his desk as he waited Gibbs' return from his meeting with Vance. They had no plans for the evening, but he hoped his partner would want to spend it with him, maybe watching a movie or a basket game at his apartment.

As if on cue, Gibbs stepped down the stairs and asked, "Hey, where's McGee?"

"Hey, Boss," Tony said with a smile, using the opportunity being alone offered to turn the honorific in an endearment. "He's, uh, resting his fried circuits. I don't know what the big deal is."

"Just a little rocket science."

"Yeah, it's not like its brain surgery," Tony commented as Gibbs moved closer to his desk and leant over him.

"I want to see more pictures of her," his partner ordered slamming down a print-out with M. Allison Hart's picture and biography on it.

"Yeah, me, too," Tony commented as he put away the cards and started typing. "All right. I get your fascination, Boss. She's a spellbinder. You could get lost in those icy blue eyes." The last line was said as he looked straight at the blue eyes he got lost in, every day and every night.

Gibbs glared at him and Tony went on his task, finding the address of Hart's website. "You know what was a little weird, though? How she seemed to know me before we met. Not just me, either. You. Us."

His boss pointed at one of the thumbnail pictures that appeared on the screen and said, "That one right there."

Tony clicked on the indicated photo and when it enlarged he found himself staring at a face he had hoped to never see again. "Is that her and Colonel Bell?"

Gibbs pulled out the print-out McGee had given him about Bell's release from a Mexican prison and unfolded it on the desk.

"Bell sent her. How did you know?" Tony asked, once again amazed by his partner's investigative skills.

"Her hand, his shoulder," Gibbs answered simply, circling with a red pen the hand in question on both prints. "Photo's been cropped," his boss added, before walking to his desk.

"Huh. You got that off a pinkie?" Tony asked, looking at his partner across the squad room. "What do you think they're up to?"

Gibbs didn't answer, and Tony knew his plans for the evening had just got cancelled even before he could suggest them, because his boss won't leave the office until he discovered everything he could about Bell and Hart.

It was going to be a really long night.

.

Ha-ha! Surprise, surprise! I bet you weren't expecting this twist! And this is just the beginning…Let me know what you think! Next chapter: Flesh & Blood...if you want to see it SOON review! Reviews make me want to update faster, lack of reviews makes me wait longer before posting to see if more readers are going to comment...


	5. Chapter 5

**4- Flesh and Blood**

During the following days Gibbs often thought of M. Allison Hart. He couldn't help but being fascinated by her and, even if she had been hindering him on the job, he felt also flattered by her interest in him.

What he had said to Ducky, that she acted as if she hated him, but talked as if she liked him, had been true.

Gibbs wondered more than once if she had tried to provoke him enough to make him show his fangs to her, because he remembered Bill saying the length of the male vampires' fangs were like flashy colors for birds or long horns for deer…something to impress the females with in order to mate with them.

However, due to the discovery that she worked for Bell, he now knew she was the one who had pulled the Colonel out of prison, at it made her interest in him and his team unsettling. Gibbs didn't know if Bell had sent her as Tony suggested or if she had decided to act on her own, but until he knew what she or them were up to, he would keep a close eye on her activities and question her motives. Better being prudent than sorry.

And then, on Monday morning, as they were investigating a suspected attempt against a Middle East prince's life who was playing at being a pilot with the US Navy at Pax River, something happened to completely take Gibbs' mind off M. Allison Hart.

Tony's father showed up at NCIS and the vampire finally had the chance to meet the man he had more than once wanted to shake till his teeth rattled for the way he had treated his son.

**XXX**

Tony was stunned when he saw his father down in the squad room, talking and being all charming with Ziva and watching her respond to him in a coquettish way as he commented her hair style.

What was his Dad doing there? In all the years Tony had been a cop and later a federal agent, his father had never shown any interest for his choice of career, and never come to visit him at work.

Was he there because of the mix up with the bank? Tony had called him two days before without getting an answer. Or was there some other reason for this visit?

The young man tried to discover it, but his father was extremely elusive in his answers. More, he managed to turn the tables on him and get Tony to talk about their current case. He found all that interest a bit weird, but he didn't have much time to wonder about it. Tony had a job to do and a driven boss that cut no slack to anyone, and especially not to his life partner.

So Tony called a cab for his father and went with the rest of the team to the Adams House Hotel to provide protection for Prince Sayif Ibn Alwaan.

During the trip, he ascertained Gibbs had yet met his father, and he wondered what would happen when they did.

As far as Tony's experiences went, meeting your significant other's parents was always an important occasion. He had felt uneasy when he had met Jeanne's mother and very, very, nervous when he had met Jackson Gibbs. He was also pretty sure even Gibbs had been a wreck when Shannon had introduced him to her parents. Yet, Tony somehow knew his partner wouldn't be nervous upon meeting his father, because no 'will they consider me worthy of her?' thoughts would cross his mind this time. If anything, it would have to be seen if Jethro would consider Anthony DiNozzo Sr. worthy to be Tony's father.

They had never talked much about their childhood, but the young man was aware that Gibbs – the man that was his partner, but who had also been a father—had a very low opinion of DiNozzo Senior. He had never stated it aloud, probably in regard of Tony's feelings, but the younger man knew it was so.

Vance had said not long ago Gibbs was too transparent and it was true. He didn't bother to mask his feelings, and Tony knew his father would sense it as soon as the two men met. Which, of course, would only make his Dad act even more arrogant than usual, which in turn would only increase Jethro's dislike for him…Oh god, he really hoped they wouldn't meet any time soon.

But all of his hopes shattered when, sent with Ziva to intercept someone who was sending emails about the life attempt against Prince Sayif Ibn Alwaan from the Adams House Hotel internet point, Tony found himself pointing his gun towards his father.

**XXX**

The sight of Tony's downcast eyes as he walked past him toward the interrogation room was the only reason Gibbs decided to use his most courteous manners with Anthony DiNozzo Sr.

Alas, his good intentions almost flew out of the window when the man introduced himself as the 'real Tony DiNozzo'. The guy probably thought it was funny. But to Gibbs, Tony was far more real than the man standing in front of him wearing an expensive suit, even more expensive shoes and a fake smile that didn't reach his cold calculating eyes.

Nevertheless, Gibbs tried to conduct the interview in a polite way, making it look more like a conversation than an interrogation, all the while refraining from incinerating the older man with his glares as he refused time and again to sit down as asked.

But in the end, just before he left the interrogation room, Gibbs turned around and stared at his mate's father with a look that meant, 'You may have Ziva and McGee eating from your hand, and I've no doubt you'll do the same with Abby, but it doesn't work with me. I know what you did to Tony and no amount of charming smiles or smart talking will ever change it.

The vampire watched pleased as DiNozzo's eyes narrowed in surprised response to his look and walked away.

Tony was in the same position as before, leaning with his back against the corridor wall, head lowered.

"You keep your father clear of the Ibn Alwaan family," Gibbs ordered as he stopped by his senior agent.

"Right, Boss," Tony answered, finally rising his remorseful eyes.

"Make sure he gets the message," Gibbs reiterated, but he softened the command by brushing Tony's hand with his fingers, to make him understand he wasn't angry with him for letting the information about the case slip as he talked with his father. After all, he too had almost behaved like the teenager he had once been when they had returned to Stillwater for a case.

"Got it," Tony said, his eyes brightening at the small caress.

Gibbs nodded to him, and then walked inside the observation room. He found Ducky, who was supposed to be there, and Abby, who most certainly was supposed to be somewhere else doing her job.

He glared at her as she rambled trying to explain her presence here and then left, leaving him and Ducky alone, watching as in the adjacent room Tony tried to reason with his father.

"What are you thinking?" Ducky asked, turning his head toward him.

"He's not involved."

"But?"

"But he's got an agenda."

Yes, Anthony DiNozzo Sr. had an agenda, and it had yet to be seen what it was and if and how it was related to the Middle Eastern royal family. But whatever it was, the man was better make sure he didn't cause troubles for Tony, or he would learn the hard way no one, not even a parent, messed with Gibbs' mate or caused him pain.

**XXX**

Being caught by his boss- who also happened to be his life partner- almost upside down with a female yoga instructor holding his leg up and while, near him, the man he was supposed to be guarding was making out with a half-naked strip-tease dancer, was one of the most humiliating and embarrassing moments of Tony's life.

He tried to find excuses, but the truth was he had none. He had let things go out of control and he was lucky he had been caught by friends and not by a terrorist or by Prince Sayif's father, Prince Omar, whose plane had just landed.

He didn't even try to duck when Gibbs repeatedly slapped him with the cowboy hat the dancer had discarded earlier in the evening and had somehow ended up on Tony's head. He took the punishment that he deserved. He had disappointed his boss and partner and had risked causing a great embarrassment to NCIS.

As if it wasn't enough, when he and Gibbs walked into the hotel corridor to intercept Prince Omar and ask him a couple of questions about why someone wanted to kill his son, they saw the Middle East nobleman step out of the elevator in company of Tony's father…whom his boss had ordered him to keep away from the Ibn Alwaan family.

"I told you to handle it," Gibbs almost growled as he glared at DiNozzo Sr.

"I spoke to him. I think he's losing his hearing," Tony replied, but his attempt to lighten the mood failed miserably.

"Give me a reason not to bench you," his boss said, looking straight into his eyes.

"I won't let him out of my sight," Tony answered, hoping it would be enough to appease the angry man in front of him.

Apparently it was, because Gibbs nodded before returning to the Prince's suite, but the young man knew he wasn't being forgiven. He had just been offered another, final chance to make sure his father didn't pull another stunt like this one. And Tony was dead set to do just that, even if it meant he had to cuff his old man to himself.

**X**

When Gibbs and Ziva returned in the office early in the afternoon, Tony was trying and failing to dislodge his father from his desk and computer.

It took just a look at his boss to understand the man wasn't pleased at all to see Senior in the squad room. However, after what had happened in the morning, Tony didn't like the idea of letting his old man go somewhere without supervision. So, since he had a lot of work to do, he looked for another solution when his father announced he would return to the hotel.

"Uh, you know what," he hastened to say, "I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse. Very Special Probationary Agent Ziva David is going to give you a personal, special tour of NCIS headquarters. Come on."

Ziva looked pleased by the prospect of being a guide and stood up, but his father wasn't thrilled by the idea of a tour.

"Well, that is a lovely offer, but I'm sure Ziva must be busy," he said.

"Yeah, she is," Gibbs interjected, and before any of the DiNozzo's could do anything, he picked up Senior's coat and hat and said in a tone that didn't admit any refusal. "I'll show you around."

"Boss..." Tony all but begged, as he saw the meeting he had been hoping would never happen, materialize in front of eyes. And it was even worse than he had imagined, because Gibbs was clearly pissed off with both his father and him.

"We'll start with the armory," Gibbs continued, completely ignoring Tony but for ordering him to get back at work.

Tony watched the two men walk away and shuddered at what could happen if his father said the wrong thing, now that Gibbs' patience was so thin. Of course he wasn't afraid his partner would hurt his Dad, but he couldn't rule out a serious dressing down as only Gibbs could give.

Ziva looked at him curiously and, unable to tell her the real reason of his concern, he exclaimed, "I'm flashing back. Boarding school. Headmaster wants to talk to my Dad."

Ziva smirked with a knowing look and sat down at her desk. Tony was about to do the same when something flashed into his mind. Even before he completed the thought, his hand was on the phone and he was dialing McGee's number, ordering him to report in the squad room at once.

"What do you want McGee to do?" Ziva asked, surprised.

"Use his computer magic," Tony answered, looking at his computer as if it was a bomb ready to explode. "I need to find out what my father's been doing on this thing. 'Cause he's up to something. I can smell it."

A few minutes later, as McGee worked on his computer, Tony went to buy a snack in the cafeteria. He was returning to the third floor using the stairs when he heard what seemed to be his father's voice.

/This doesn't look like an armory to me./

Tony looked up and down the staircase. He was well aware Gibbs wouldn't happy if he thought the young man was looking for them instead of working, but there was no one.

/Sit./ This time Tony heard Gibbs' voice and he recognized from where it came from … their connection.

From some reason, his partner had opened their connection while talking with his father and Tony couldn't help but wonder why.

/When you offered to take me on the tour, I suspected you had an ulterior motive. What's on your mind?/ It was weird to hear his father's voice filtered not by his own ears, but from Gibbs', as strange as it was to listen to a recording of his own voice.

/Your son,/ Gibbs answered with a chuckle.

/What has, uh... Junior done now?/

_Oh God, this really looks like the boarding school headmaster talking to Dad, _Tony thought with a shiver. He started wondering if Gibbs would start listing Tony's mistakes and if this was his partner's way to punish him for all the trouble father and son had caused during this case.

Tony sighed and sat down on the steps, ready to listen to the many ways he had disappointed his boss, but Gibbs' next words were of a completely different kind.

/Tony likes to hide behind the face of a clown. But he's the best young agent I've ever worked with./

Tony's eyes widened in stunned and pleased surprise. While his partner was always ready to express affection for him in private, he wasn't generous with praises about Tony's – or anyone else's – work. And this was so much more than a 'Good job, DiNozzo' or an 'Atta-boy'.

Gibbs had just said Tony was the best young agent he had ever worked with! Better than Stan Burley, whom Tony had so envied during their meeting on the _USS Enterprise_ because he had thought Gibbs had liked him more. Better than Jenny, who had been so bright to go from Probie to Director in less than ten years. Better than anyone…and Gibbs had just said it aloud, to his father and had made sure Tony had heard it too.

/Well, I'm glad to hear that,/ his father answered with a barely interested tone that made Tony's heart clench.

Apparently that tone grated on Gibbs' nerves, because Tony could sense the effort he made to stay calm. /When was the last time you talked to him? I mean, really- talked to him?/

/Well, we keep in touch./

_Yeah, Dad, sure we do. Well wishing cards for Christmas and birthdays, which I'm not even sure you personally send, or if they are your secretary's idea,_ Tony thought bitterly.

/Four years ago, your son came very close to dying from pneumonic plague. And I expected to see you. You didn't show then. Why are you here now?/ Gibbs voiced the question Tony had been wondering about since his father had appeared the previous morning.

/He never told me he was sick./

/Oh, so you don't keep in touch./

/What's your point?/ Even if distorted by Gibbs' different perceptions, Tony recognized that tone. His father was beginning to get irritated.

/Tony inherited his personality from you. But I get the feeling there's a lot about your life you don't share./

_Yes, Boss, your gut is right again,_ Tony thought but didn't send to his partner. _For a long time I thought you and him were very alike…sort of two mysteries I wished to unravel. But now things have changed. Now you're no longer a mystery; I know things of you almost no one else know. My father instead…well, I have always thought he kept things hidden from me on purpose, that I was the only one not knowing facts the rest of the family was clearly aware of._

/I should tell you to piss off,/ his father hissed. /But I do know that Junior thinks the world of you. So I'll keep this civil. You have children, Gibbs?/

_Oh no, why did you had to ask that?_ Tony wondered.

/Had,/ came Gibbs' soft answer. /A daughter. But unfortunately.../ Tony was hit by a big wave of pain and regrets as his mate fought to control his emotions. /I didn't get the chance to know her as an adult. You have that opportunity to get to know Tony. Do it./

Tony barely heard his father's annoyed, /Are we finished?/ He was too busy brushing away the very embarrassing tears Gibbs' words had caused. The young man had been touched deep by how his fiercely private partner, who never talked about his late daughter, had just bared his heart with a complete stranger and voiced one of his greatest regrets.

And Gibbs had done it, with a stranger who clearly hadn't understood what his partner had tried to say, all because of his love for Tony.

Tony… The person whom Gibbs knew better than his own father ever would; Gibbs, who was aware how the younger man liked to hide behind his clown mask, thinking that if no one knew his real self, no one could hurt it, which, unfortunately wasn't always true. Gibbs, who was the only person Tony felt comfortable to remove his mask with. In the same way the young man was the only human – except Jackson – to know Gibbs' real nature, his partner was the only person who knew the real Anthony DiNozzo Jr. … and somehow, it was so very fitting.

/Did you hear?/ Gibbs' voice intruded into his thoughts, bringing him out of his reverie.

/I did…I-I've no words, Jethro…What you did…/

/Was to make him seen what a precious gift he had been granted, to see his son grown to adulthood. But I'm not sure he understood,/ Gibbs interjected, and Tony felt the disappointment in his partner's tone.

/It doesn't matter…_I_ understood,/ Tony answered, sending all the love he could muster along their connection.

/Good,/ Gibbs replied with a lighter tone. /Now get back to work, we'll need to brief the State Department soon./

/On it, Boss./

Tony stood up from the step where he had been sitting. His legs hurt because of how tense he had been while listening to the conversation, but he could care less.

Everything was again okay in his life, even if Gibbs still had to forgive him and he didn't know what his father was up to. And speaking of it, it was about time he went to see what McGee had found on his computer…and to check he wasn't uploading some strange program on his machine.

One could never be sure around overzealous Probies who tried to impress the Boss, not knowing that they would never be up to Anthony DiNozzo Jr., the best young agent the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs had ever worked with.

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So, did you like it? I hope so, because this is one of my favourite scenes and I hope you liked the twist of having Tony listen to the conversation. Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!

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	6. Chapter 6

**XXX**

Around 1930, Gibbs put a big, thick steak on the grill over his fireplace. He seldom cooked on a real fire, but he knew Tony liked 'cowboy style meat', and even if the vampire wasn't a believer of comfort food, he thought his mate could use some of it for dinner.

As he watched the meat cook, Gibbs thought back to the conversation Tony and he had in MTAC a few hours before.

"_Have to break one of your rules, Boss. Number six: 'Never say you're sorry'. I let things get out of control in the hotel room," Tony had begun, as they waited to brief the State Department about the case._

"_Yeah. It's covered. Rule Eighteen."_

"_Oh, yeah: 'It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission'. Am I forgiven?" Tony had asked, turning his hopeful eyes toward him._

"_No." At least, not yet. Gibbs had let Tony hear his praises because he thought it was the right thing to do, but he knew his mate often went over the top when he was feeling good with himself, and there was no doubt the vampire's words had made him feel very good. So Gibbs' displeasure was going to be useful to ground Tony, at least until he calmed down and Anthony DiNozzo Sr. left town, "You've been distracted by your father."_

"_It's that obvious?" Tony joked, but there was no real humor in his eyes. In fact, after a few moments of silence, as his mate had stared almost blankly at the screen, he had added, "He's not the man I thought he was."_

"_I don't know my father," Gibbs had offered._

"_No, Boss, my father's always been a mystery to me. Just a wealthy one. It turns out he's broke. He has been for years. His bank accounts are overdrawn, credit cards are frozen, and his property's are foreclosed. The guy's tapped out."_

_Gibbs had been surprised to hear that, even if his gut had alerted him DiNozzo Sr. had been hiding something. "How'd you find that out?"_

"_McGee got me into his records. It turns out Senior's been living high on the low for quite some time. I wonder if he was ever as rich as he appeared." Tony commented and Gibbs could see the uncertainty in his eyes. It really had to be tough to realize the man his mate had put on a pedestal as a child, the man Tony had always admired for his financial ability, was nothing more than a con man. _

_Gibbs didn't comment, so Tony went on. "I think the reason he came to town to see me was to confess the charade. But when he figured out that Prince Omar was coming to town, I think he, uh...he saw the chance for one last score. His whole life's one big con."_

"_What are you going to do about it?" Gibbs asked, curious._

"_End the game."_

"_When?"_

"_Time to do it's when he checks out of the hotel. He's staying in a $1,000-a-night suite. He can't afford it. He's running up a huge tab. I'll get him when he tries to pay the bill."_

Their conversation had then ended because the State Department had contacted them to start the debriefing, and even if the topic had not been touched again, Gibbs had kept a close eye on Tony.

The truth about Anthony DiNozzo Sr.'s dealings had shattered one of the few certainties Tony had about his old man, for it basically meant he had been lied to by his Dad since he was a child. That was something no man deserved to discover, and especially not a man like Tony, who had worshipped his father and always tried to make him proud.

Gibbs wanted nothing more than take the pain away, but he could not. He could just be there, ready to support his mate, and make clear yet another time, that no matter how mad Tony could make him on the job or the arguments they may have, Gibbs would always been there for him. That he was a certainty Tony could count on.

Just as the vampire took the meat off the grill and put it on a plate, the front door opened and closed.

_Right on time_, he thought, standing up.

"Hey. Steak, cowboy-style," Tony greeted him, as he entered in the living room carrying a six-pack of beer. "I love it." He put the beer on the coffee table Gibbs had arranged for their dinner and sat down on the couch.

"Your father leave?" the vampire asked, as lowered himself near his mate.

"Yeah. Should be in New York by now."

They took out their knives at the same time, divvied the meat in two plates and started eating, washing it down with the beer.

"So, how'd it go?" Gibbs asked.

"He skated again. Guy's amazing," Tony said, with a smile that Gibbs found a tad too bright.

"So, what happened?"

"Ah, his buddy Omar picked up the tab. Bought him an airline ticket to Monte Carlo."

Gibbs didn't believe to it for a moment. "Where'd you get the money, Tony?" he asked with a knowing look.

His mate was clearly taken aback and let out a nervous laugh as he tried his best 'I don't know what you mean' expression. "What?"

Of course it didn't work with Gibbs, and so with a resigned chuckle and an admiring look Tony capitulated. "How do you do it?"

Gibbs just stared at him with a look that said, 'Do I really need to spell it out?'

"Well," Tony answered after a while, "I didn't really need to go on a cruise with my fraternity brothers, did I? Getting a little old for that stuff…and, also, it wouldn't have been that great fun without you there."

"Eh, you conned the con man," Gibbs commented, trying to cheer his mate up a bit. "Runs in the family." A pause as he chewed, then he turned to look squarely at Tony and asked, "Why'd you do it?"

"He's my father," his mate answered simply, as it explained everything—- and in a way it did. In the same way Prince Omar had answered to Gibbs' question about letting Prince Abdalla get away with his crimes with a pained but firm, _"He still is my son, Agent Gibbs."_

"He is who he is," Tony continued slowly. "I couldn't bust him. Sometimes it's better to keep what you know to yourself."

Gibbs couldn't but agree with that. So he clinked his bottle of beer with Tony's and murmured just, "Amen," giving his mate the approval the vampire knew the younger man had been looking for.

They finished their meal in silence, and Gibbs soon realized Tony was falling into a deep melancholic mood. So he decided to ensure the younger man would have a good night of rest, which would only happen if he tired Tony enough to make him go straight to sleep and not stay awake mulling for hours.

"Come," he said standing up and offering his hand to Tony. "Leave the plates there and let's go upstairs. I want to take care of you."

"That means I'm forgiven, Jethro?" his mate asked, a bit of light returning into his eyes.

"Yes, you are. Now come on, let's go."

Tony took the offered hand, rose to his feet, and followed Gibbs upstairs.

Once in the bedroom, Gibbs let go of Tony's hand and caressed his cheek. "Now let me take care of you, okay? All you have to do is to enjoy it."

"Okay, Boss," Tony answered with a curious smile, clearly wondering what Gibbs wanted to do.

"Good."

Gibbs used both his hands to pull down Tony's face and kiss him. He kept it gentle and sweet, 'cause tonight 'tender' was the name of the game.

The vampire disrobed both of them, letting their clothes fall in a puddle at their feet. He enjoyed how plaint Tony was, how his mate moved only when Gibbs tapped him on the legs to make him raise them one by one so he could remove shoes and socks.

When they were naked, Gibbs touched Tony on the shoulder and tilted his head. "Lay down," he commanded gently and watched amused as his mate rushed to obey, letting the vampire arrange him so that his feet still rested on the floor even after he was stretched out in the middle of the bed.

Gibbs climbed on the mattress too, looming briefly over Tony as he let his fangs descend, before bending down and kissing his mate thoroughly.

They kissed for a long time, as their hands ran over each other's bodies, then Gibbs freed his mouth from Tony's and began to slide his lips along his mate's cheek and then to his ear, running his tongue around the shell and nibbling on the lobe.

Tony moaned aloud and arched on the bed, pressing his erect cock against Gibbs' belly, begging for attention. The vampire was hard too, but he decided to ignore both of their erections for the moment. There was still much he wanted to do to Tony before he arrived to that part.

Gibbs kissed his way down his mate's neck and chest, relishing the little sounds of pleasure and passion his actions elicited. He moved down the gorgeous body that arched and twisted languidly in response to his kisses, light bites and caresses, until he found himself kneeling on the floor between his mates' spread legs, with Tony's erect cock rising straight in front of him.

Gibbs leant forward, burying his nose in Tony's dark curls, inhaling the musky scent of his mate, as a gentle and slightly trembling hard reached down and began petting and sliding through his hair.

"Patience," the vampire whispered, rising his head and meeting Tony's hooded gaze. "I'll get to it soon enough."

He spread Tony's legs wider, and then lifted them over his shoulders as he slipped both of his hands beneath his mate, to cup, squeeze and slightly raise his ass.

Once he had the younger man exactly where he wanted him, Gibbs bent his head and kissed the soft skin behind Tony's balls, down to the puckered hole that marked the entrance to his body. His first lick had his mate nearly bucking off the bed, so Gibbs used his hands to hold him down as he continued his assault with his lips and tongue.

The vampire relished both in the taste of his mate and in the moans and other incoherent sounds that his actions tore from the younger man's lips. When he judged he had tormented the little hole enough, he moved higher again. Tony's balls were tight against his body, and his cock was leaking.

Gibbs used one hand to steady the quivering shaft and ran his tongue against its underside, from root to tip, tasting the pre-come and using the tip of his tongue to probe the slit for more.

"Jethro!" Tony cried out, bucking and pushing his erection deeper into the vampire's mouth.

Gibbs had to use his left arm to hold him still as he swallowed his way down Tony's shaft. If his mate moved too much, or in an unexpected way, Gibbs could end up accidentally nicking and piercing the younger man's skin with his fangs, and that wasn't something the vampire wanted.

Gibbs hummed happily around the shaft in his mouth as he continued to bob his head up and down. He used his right hand where he couldn't reach with his mouth and soon he had Tony reduced into a mass of quivering and straining muscles. As his mate's cries became louder and more desperate, Gibbs couldn't resist the needs of his own body anymore, so he began rocking his own hips, the side of the bed providing some friction for his over-sensitized cock.

"Please...Jethro..."

Gibbs answered to the plea by carefully raking one of his fangs along the spit-slick shaft, while he tightened his hold at the base of the erection to prevent Tony from coming.

"Jethro...please..." Tony begged hoarsely, his hand reaching down again to pet the vampire's hair. "Need to come...please..."

Gibbs took pity on his mate and began speeding up his movements and using strong suction to enhance the experience. He also thrust faster against the bed, not wanting to be left behind when Tony came.

Gibb swallowed the thick cock down a last time and Tony came, with a yell that must have been heard by the Ericson's down the street, filling the vampire's mouth with his bittersweet seed.

The older man groaned as he swallowed it, and with a final push against the mattress, he joined his mate, spurting his seed on the floor and the bedspread.

He let go of Tony's softening cock and rested his head down on his mate's hip, caressing the younger man's soft skin with his fingertips as they both came down from their orgasms.

Slowly, their heartbeats returned to normal and their gasping breaths slowed, and Gibbs managed to climb up fully on the mattress until was lying with his head on the pillow.

Tony opened an eye and murmured a barely understandable, "What are you doing up there?" then he too scooted upward on the mattress, until they were both at the same height, lying side by side.

The younger man's hand moved gently down Gibbs' body, aiming for his cock, and the vampire heard his mate's surprised gasp when instead of the rigid organ he had been expecting, he found a soft, sticky one.

"You did it yourself?" Tony asked, a bit petulantly.

"Nope, I humped the mattress like a hormonal teenager," Gibbs answered with a smirk. "Tomorrow I'll have quite a mess to clean."

"I could have done it..."

"I know," the vampire whispered, pushing his self up with an elbow to look down at Tony's pouting face, "but this evening was just for you. I wanted to take care of you."

"And you did, Jethro, you did."

Tony arched up and captured Gibbs' mouth in a tender kiss that soon turned into a yawn.

"I'm gonna fall asleep in the next two seconds," the younger man announced.

"That was the plan," Gibbs muttered in response, as he sat up and with a bit of pushing and pulling managed to cover both of them with sheets and coverlet.

When he was done, he reached over Tony's body to switch off the night table light on his side of the bed, and smiled when he saw his mate was indeed fast asleep.

"Mission accomplished," he said to himself, before he too settled down for the night.

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Did you like the hot loving? I thought Tony needed some TLC and Gibbs agreed with me! :) let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83 for the review! :)**

**5- Jet Lag**

Gibbs had been amused by Tony's enthusiastic reaction when he had been told by Vance he would have to fly to Paris with Ziva to pick up and escort a witness of a major fraud scam against the Navy who was scheduled to meet with the US Attorney in DC.

His mate had always wanted to visit the French capital, and it hadn't seemed to matter to him that his sojourn there would last less than twenty-four hours. He had planned to use them to their fullest.

Gibbs had been happy to see Tony in such good mood. The younger man had been rather subdued after discovering the truth about his father's business. The vampire had thought a change of scenery would do his mate good, as long as he wasn't carried too much away by his enthusiasm for Paris. But Ziva would be there too, and she would be good to rein him in if it was necessary.

While half of his team was away, Gibbs and McGee caught a case, a dead Marine in downtown. Things got quickly more complex when it turned out Sergeant Mark Parsons moonlighted as hit-man and that he had a dossier on Nora William, the witness Tony and Ziva were escorting.

It didn't take long to discover Parsons had been murdered by another assassin for hire who wanted to cash the money offered to kill Nora Williams.

Luckily, it was easy to alert Tony and Ziva there could be a killer on the plane. Far less easy was to wait for the US attorney to offer a plea deal to Holly Snow, so that the DC Madam would give them the bank account number used to wire her the money to pay for the killer's services.

As he waited, frustrated by not knowing what was going on the plane, Gibbs found himself distracted by other things, namely by Holly Snow and his reaction to her during the interrogation.

For the second time in about a month, he had found himself reacting to a woman in a way he felt was improper for a very happily married man—and that he was in his eyes. He was a mated vampire and that was even more binding than a marriage, emotionally speaking.

He refused to believe it was just because both M. Allison Hart and Holly Snow were the kind of women he liked. He had met other fascinating women after he and Tony got together, and while he had admired them, they had never had this effect on him.

Was it possible, Gibbs wondered remembering how strong the urge to show his fangs had been, these reactions had something to do with his vampire nature? Something he wasn't aware of?

As most vampires, Gibbs had spent his entire life among humans, living with them, working with them… loving them. More, for a very long time, he had completely rejected his heritage, refusing to drink blood or use any of the abilities he was born with that made him different from the men and women he knew.

So it wasn't really surprising that humans and not vampires had been his role models as he grew up. After all, his vampire mom had died when he was still very young, and Bill Hendricks could pay only brief visits to Stillwater. It wasn't surprising Gibbs judged his actions or reactions by human standards. But what if vampire standards were somehow different?

Once the thought got a hold of his mind, Gibbs couldn't push it away until he got some answers. So, on his way up from Abby's lab, he blocked the elevator and dialed Bill's number by memory.

"_Professor Hendricks,"_ the vampire dean answered at the first ring.

"It's me, Bill, Leroy."

"_Leroy! What a pleasure to hear from you, my friend, but I do hope it's not because you and Tony are in trouble again,"_ Bill answered, with a tone that was half-ironic and half-worried.

Gibbs smirked. "No trouble, Bill, but I need to speak to you. Soon."

"_Well, I've just finished with my morning classes, so we could meet here at the campus, if you're free for lunch. Is that soon enough for you?"_

"Yes, it is," Gibbs answered, checking his watch. The attorney's office wasn't supposed to call them before three hours, so he had plenty of time to go to Georgetown University for a talk with Bill. "I'll be there in thirty."

"_Very well. I'll be waiting for you near the main gate."_

"Okay."

**X**

Once arrived at the campus, Gibbs had no trouble in locating Bill. The two vampires shook hands in greeting, and then Bill led the way to a wooden bench located under a majestic oak. There was no one near, making it a good place to have a private conversation without risking being overheard.

Gibbs sat down near his friend and handed him one of the coffee cups he had bought on his way there.

"Thanks, Leroy," Bill said with a smile, before sobering and looking at the younger vampire with a penetrating look. "Tell me what's bothering you."

Gibbs sipped his coffee then, looking straight ahead at a young couple strolling hand in hand, he told his mentor everything it had happened with M. Allison Hart and Holly Snow, and how much he was upset because of it.

"Well," Bill commented after Gibbs finished talking, "I've been expecting something like this to happen to you for a while, and I'm not surprised it was Allison who acted as a catalyst. I bet meeting her was a shock for your senses, since you've never met a female vampire before."

"She was. You know her well?"

Bill shook his head. "As much as I know most of the vampires living the area. She's a young one, still living her first life, and has come to visit me three or four times asking for advice or information about our community."

"Information? Did she ask about anyone in particular?" Gibbs asked.

Bill frowned. "No, and before you ask, I never mention the names vampires go by to other vampires, unless, of course, someone comes asking for information already knowing the person in question is one of us, just like now. You know I don't intervene in private matters between vampires, unless one does something that could put another one and by, large the kin, in danger of being discovered."

"Okay, no more questions about her," Gibbs agreed, having sensed the admonition in Bill's tone. The vampire dean wasn't going to reveal anything personal about M. Allison Hart. If he wanted more information about her, he would have to do it through normal investigative work. "But what about the other matter? Why did you say you've been expecting something like this to happen to me for a while?"

"Because is normal to feel this kind of attraction-"

Gibbs shook his head, interrupting him. "No. It's not normal. I know the attraction you're talking about. Both Tony and I have always liked women. If an attractive one comes in contact with us, we react to her. We may imagine what would be like to be with her, but everything ends there. With Miss Hart is different …I keep thinking about her and not in the usual way. I don't want to get in her pants…well, I want it too, but it's not just that. I feel this desire to keep her near me, to care for her, to protect her…something I have felt only with Shannon and Tony." He completed his rant and took a deep breath.

Bill smirked, amused. "Had you let me complete my line, I would have said this is normal and natural for a vampire male, especially for one as dominant as you are. Deep inside you have the desire to form a clan, your clan, and now you've found another candidate for it, the first being, of course, your Tony."

"Form a clan?" Gibbs had to control himself to avoid raising his voice. "This is cheating, Bill, and I've never approved of it. I've never cheated my lovers or wives, not even when it was clear the relationships were going downhill. So why should I get this…idea…now, when I've a mate that gives me everything I need?"

"Because it's not true," Bill answered calmly, unruffled by Gibbs' vehemence. "You need more than Tony could ever give you. Not because he's a man or because he is lacking in some area, but because he is just…him. One. A single individual. You instead need a clan, to love and protect and share your life with. As I said, every dominant male feels this need sooner or later in his life, and now it's your turn."

Gibbs shook his head, unable to accept it with the same matter-of-fact attitude of the older vampire. "It cannot be. We have evolved and the need that in the past pushed vampires to form clans no longer exists."

"Yes, we've evolved—but not that much," Bill explained. "And while is true material needs might no longer be so important, there is still the basic fact none of us wants to be left alone when our mate dies. Nowadays, a lot of vampires don't live in clans either because they aren't highly dominant males or because, even if they are, they are mated to humans that cannot understand and accept the concept of a clan. So they suffocate their instinct out of love and have only a strictly monogamous relationship with their mates. Others, instead, are luckier and discover their mates are more accepting and thus they manage to form a sort of clan. As you well know, I'm among the lucky ones; I've two mates."

"Yeah, I know, although you still have to introduce me to Marie."

Bill smiled. "She seems to be always out of town when you come to visit, but I promise to introduce you as soon as I get the opportunity to do it. Maybe you and Tony could come for lunch on Sunday, so I could show your mate how things are between me and my girls."

"I don't know," Gibbs replied. "Tony may call himself open minded, but deep inside he's traditionalists like I. I'm not sure of how he would react upon realizing what kind of relationship there is between you, Lynn and Marie." He sighed deeply and continued in a tired tone, "Damn it, Bill! Why this had to happen? Why now, when I'm finally happy after so many years of loneliness?"

"I think that's exactly the reason it's happening now," Bill said gently, rising his hand to briefly squeeze Gibbs' hunched shoulder, "You're discovering how good it's to live with a mate that accepts you. To be able to love and be loved as the vampire you are. To have the freedom to be really you. You've completely reconnected with your heritage after years of denial, and your dominant male instinct has completely awoken."

"If my current happiness with Tony is the cause of this, why it didn't happen when I was with Shannon? I was as happy with her as I am now!" Gibbs retorted, almost desperate.

"You were too young back then. Vampires don't reach their full maturity until 38-40 years. This is why you and Shannon never developed a mental connection as the one you have with Tony. It was too soon for you."

"So you think we could have developed one, had she lived?"

"Yes. She loved and trusted you as much as Tony does…the potential for such a connection was all there, but the timing was wrong."

Gibbs nodded, relieved. Deep inside he had always been upset he and Shannon had never experienced the same connection he had with Tony, but now he knew why. It wasn't because their love or trust in each other hadn't been strong enough. It was that he had been too young. He smiled for the first time since the conversation had started, even if it was a bittersweet smile.

"Are you feeling better?" Bill asked with a small smile of his own.

"Not really. I'm less confused, but still a hell of a lot upset. A part of me wishes I never met Miss Hart while the other can't stop to wonder when I'll see her again—and in the middle there is Tony and his needs and feelings. He didn't have an easy life as a child. His mother died when he was just eight and his father, well; let's say he was far from a model Dad. Tony never knew deep affection and security with him, nor did he know it in his adult, romantic relationships. But now I know I've provided him with everything he had always wanted but never had, and I don't want to do anything that might jeopardize that, or make him feel lacking or no longer wanted… I can't hurt him like that."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Gibbs pursed his lips. "I think I'll wait and see if this infatuation of mine will last or will die if I have no more contacts with Miss Hart. If it continues or I realized the same thing is happening with other women, I'll find a way to talk about it with Tony. Then maybe, I'll tell him to come to talk with you…and perhaps with Lynn and Marie too."

Bill nodded, approvingly, "That could be a good idea."

"But everything will stop if Tony says he cannot accept or understand the situation," Gibbs added, his eyes filling with steeling resolve. "If I feel there is any risk of ruining our relationship and the trust he has in me, I'll erase from his memory any reference to M. Allison Hart and clans and never talk about them again. Tony and his happiness are my first priority, and if it means suffocating my instinct for the rest of our life together, well, so be it. I'll do it."

Bill just looked at him and nodded. There wasn't much to say, because it was a well known fact that when Leroy Jethro Gibbs made up his mind, his mind was made. End of the story.

.

OK, this is the reason this story is titled Complex Connection(s). I hope no one will be offended by this idea. Polygamy still exists in certain Asian and African cultures (in the same way polyandry – a woman with more husbands – is quite common in Tibet and Nepal). Now, in most polygamist cultures the women have little say about who they are married off to or about their husband's choice of another wife, and this is why I don't approve them and why my vampires are different. Oh, BTW, polygamy is not the same as threesome. They are two different things.

Finally I want to point out that whatever it might happen in later chapters, _**this is a Gibbs/Tony story **_and that the focus of the tale will stay on them. No matter what happens, this story (which is far from finished) will ultimately show the depth of THEIR connection.

Please let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83, hazeleyes and my anonymous reader for the reviews! **

**A/N: Just to make things clear... Yes, vampires want to to create clans. Yes, Gibbs is feeling the urge to create is his own. Yes, that will create troubles with and for Tony. But keep in mind that wanting to do a thing and doing it are two very different things. As I've said, this a Gibbs/Tony story. So don't jump to conclusions, OK?**

**XXX**

Tony had enjoyed playing the tourist in Paris during the few free hours he and Ziva had before they had to jump on a plan back to DC with Nora Williams.

He had always wanted to visit Paris, after admiring it in so many French movies. Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, Place De La Concorde, Champs Elysees…they were all admired and duly photographed to make McGee green with envy.

In order to better savor the atmosphere of the city and not lose too much time jumping up and down metro trains, Tony had rented a Vespa scooter. This had made him feel like Gary Cooper in _Roman Holidays_. With the difference he hadn't been in Rome, he hadn't been on holiday and the person riding behind him hadn't been the one he had wished to visit Paris – or any other city – with.

The flight back to DC had been pleasant enough too, but for the news there had been a killer on board and that their witness had been the intended victim. The matter had been resolved quickly enough, although they had risked losing Nora to an anaphylactic shock caused by a poisoned pillow.

Luckily for anyone involved, except for the killer and her instigator, Nora had been strong and had soon returned to ramble about how much in love she was and how much Tony and Ziva were like her fiancé Daniel and her.

After talking with Gibbs after capturing the killer, Tony hadn't had the heart to tell Nora her perfect fiancé was the person who had put a hit on her and almost had her killed. He had let her have a few more hours of happiness before her world would come crushing down.

Once landed in DC, with Nora trusted to the capable hands of the Homeland Security and other NCIS agents that would take over her protection, Tony and Ziva went to report to the office.

As he stepped out of the elevator, Tony noticed immediately Gibbs' desk was empty, but he didn't give it much of a thought. The Boss was probably in Vance's office or in MTAC.

It was only when he saw the look on McGee's face and the way he was staring blankly at the empty desk in front of him that Tony's inner alarm set off.

"What is it, Probie?" he asked as he lowered his backpack on the desk. "Where is the boss?"

"He's…not here," McGee answered, after opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water a few times.

"That I can see, McObvious. Where is he? What is he doing?" Tony stressed as Ziva stepped closer, she too wanting to know what was going on.

"I…Uh…He's home…uh…hopefully he's resting."

"Why?" asked Ziva. "What happened to him?"

"He was hit by a car," McGee finally said.

Tony sucked in his breath, trying to control his reactions, "How badly?"

"Dislocated right shoulder. They have already put it back in place in ER."

Tony grimaced; dislocated shoulders were very painful. Then he realized that Gibbs being hit by a car didn't warrant the beaten dog look on McGee's face, so he asked, "Why was Gibbs hit by a car?"

Probie's face paled even more. "'Cause he wasn't fast enough after he pushed me away…" And then McGee told them what had happened when he and Gibbs had tried to arrest Daniel Sturgis. How the man had fled, how they had been forced to shoot against his car to stop him, and how Sturgis had lost control of his sedan and almost invested them.

Tony thought about giving McGee a piece of his mind, but Probie looked so mortified and full of guilt, that he decided to keep silent—at least for this evening.

"Uh…as I drove him to his place, Gibbs said to tell you the reports could wait till tomorrow, and to go home," McGee said, switching off his computer and standing.

"Good," Tony commented. "Then I'll take the chance to go home earlier than predicted and spend a nice evening without annoying co-workers snoring in my ears and even more annoying material witnesses who never stop talking about love and perfect, murderous fiancés. See you tomorrow, guys."

Alone in his car, Tony tried to contact Gibbs using their mental connection, but his attempts were met by silence.

_Maybe the painkillers put him to sleep,_ he thought as he drove toward Alexandria. Then he frowned. Gibbs shouldn't need to take painkillers. He was a vampire and, as such, he had the power to heal his injuries, although Tony had no idea of how the self-healing worked.

Once arrived at Gibbs' place, Tony let himself inside and up the stairs to his partner's bedroom.

He smiled at the sight welcoming him. The always tidy room looked like a war zone, with Gibbs' coat, jacket and pants abandoned on the floor instead of being carefully folded, a boot and sock here, the others in the opposite corner, a sling hanging in precarious balance from the back of the chair. Near the door there was also a plastic bag with the remains the polo and t-shirt the doctors had cut to free Gibbs' injured shoulder.

As for the man himself, he was lying on the bed, clad only in his boxers. His right arm was resting on his bare chest, and Tony cringed upon seeing the bruises covering his partner's arm and side.

"They look worse than they feel," a soft voice commented. "They're almost healed and will soon disappear."

Tony didn't even think to ask how Gibbs could possibly know the younger man was staring at the bruises since he had his eyes closed. He already knew his partner was omniscient.

"Okay. What about your shoulder? Is it going to be better soon?"

Gibbs opened his eyes and slightly shook his head, "Nope."

"Why? Do you need to drink to heal it?"

"Nope. I don't need to drink to self-heal this, but I can't heal the shoulder anymore than I've already done."

"Why?" Tony asked again, sitting down on the edge of the mattress and taking his partner's right hand in his own.

"'Cause I'm not a good actor. I hate the sling and I wouldn't be able to fake the need to wear it if my shoulder was fine and no longer hurt. I would betray myself by using my body too naturally and not like someone who is in pain."

Tony nodded in understanding, as he remembered how hard and annoying it had been to fake his arm was still broken and still needing to be immobilized after Gibbs had healed it in Israel.

"How long will you need to wear the sling?"

"At least twenty days."

"Three weeks? That's a lot!"

"Yeah, but at least I managed to heal my broken clavicle before they X-rayed my shoulder. I've no idea of how long I would have to wear that damned thing had it still been broken!" Gibbs exclaimed, glaring at the sling.

"I'm afraid the sling wouldn't have been enough. They would have trapped your arm in a very uncomfortable position with a cast…" Tony mused, remembering when a similar fracture happened to one of his frat brother.

Gibbs turned his head to glare at Tony and winced in pain as he jostled his shoulder.

"Bad idea, Boss," the younger man commented.

Gibbs almost growled at him, but Tony ignored it, bending forward and kissing the scowling lips until he felt them bend in a smile.

"Much better," he commented as he straightened. "Now, with your permission, I'll tidy this room, and then I'll draw you…us… a hot bath with my special mixture of lavender and arnica oils. It will help with your muscles…and with mine too, since I took quite a beating, up there among the clouds."

Gibbs' eyes flashed with concern as he scanned Tony head to foot. "Are you all right?"

"Yep, just a little sore. I just went down too easily on our lady killer because, you know, she was a woman. So she managed to land a few blows, until…"

"Until?"

"I removed my velvet gloves and unleashed Ziva on her," Tony grinned as Gibbs let out an amused snort. "Now, let me finish illustrating you my program for the evening," he continued as he bent down and collected the scattered clothes. "After the bath, we'll call a take away – I'll let you choose which one – and we'll have dinner in bed as we compare notes about Paris…"

Gibbs nodded, "Okay."

"…and the women we shared our trips with. I bet Jenny didn't snore as loudly as Ziva!" Tony completed before retreating inside the safety of the bathroom as Gibbs growled.

"DiNozzo!"

The younger man laughed, pretty sure that by the end of the evening Gibbs' bad mood would be just a memory.

**XXX**

Gibbs felt much better after the girly-smelling but relaxing bath he had shared with Tony and a full meal.

He had all but stopped berating himself for not having been fast enough to avoid Sturgis' car. Had he moved away in time, he wouldn't need to wear that damned sling for weeks, nor he would have to endure Ducky's daily prodding or see McGee look at him like a fearful puppy.

But, on the other side, Gibbs enjoyed when Tony took care of him, so it wasn't all for the worst.

He was recalled to the present when Tony returned from disposing of the take away empty containers, completely naked and slowly stroking himself.

"Something on your mind?" Gibbs asked, his eyes darting from the moving hand to Tony's eyes and back down to his groin.

"Maybe...if you feel like it."

Gibbs smirked as his cock started to show its interest and willingness inside his boxers. "I'm up to it."

"Not yet," Tony answered with a cheeky grin and he looked at the vampire's groin. "But you'll be soon."

Gibbs laughed as Tony settled down on the bed and removed his boxers, freeing his hardening cock. Then his mate moved up along his body, and kissed him, on his mouth, jaws and neck.

"What do you want?" Tony whispered against his skin.

Gibbs tilted his head up and kissed his mate's nose. "Have fun. Surprise me. Enjoy me."

The vampire liked to be in control during sex as he liked to be in charge in everything he did, on the job and in his life. He guessed it was an integrant part of his dominant male instinct. But now, with his body sore because he had done his duty and protected one of his people from harm, it felt right to take the backseat and let Tony dictate the pace of their lovemaking.

Tony grinned and his eyes shone with pleasure at the unusual request. "I will."

The younger man moved down Gibbs' chest, kissing along the contours of his pectoral muscles. He spent a few moments sucking on each nipple until they were both hard, then he took the vampire's left hand and swirled his tongue around the tips of his fingers, again and again.

"Nice," Gibbs commented softly. He was fully hard now, but without any desire to come any time soon. He wanted to see what Tony would do next.

"Good," his mate replied, before letting go of the vampire's hand to move his mouth along his left forearm and arm, biting slightly on the bicep.

Gibbs hummed with pleasure and arched his neck and back, enjoying the sensation the gentle, teasing touches were stirring in him.

When Tony was done with the older man's arm, he returned to focus on his torso, sticking out his tongue and running it down Gibbs' chest, along his stomach, to his navel, which was sucked and gently bitten. Then Tony resumed his kissing, leaving a damp trail down and then up the vampire's legs, all the time ignoring Gibbs' angry red cock.

"Tease," Gibbs said, when Tony was once again at eye level with him, and raised his left hand to caress his mate's cheek.

"Do you want me to continue?" the younger man asked as he kissed underneath Gibbs' chin, sucking gently on the skin. "Or would you like something else?" His hand moved down, wrapping around the vampire's cock.

Gibbs groaned aloud and bucked in his mate's fist, but the groan turned in a pained moan as his shoulder flared up.

"Shh," Tony soothed him. "Be still, I'll do everything."

Gibbs watched his mate shift on the mattress as he reached for the bedside table drawer and pulled out the lube.

The younger man poured some lube onto his fingers and spread it over Gibbs' cock, pumping languidly, as if he was enjoying the feel of the hard, slick flesh sliding in his fist.

Gibbs groaned with pleasure, but refrained from bucking in search of more stimulation. Tony had said he would do everything, so he had just to lay there and watch his mate do all the work—which also included stretching and preparing himself, a very erotic thing to watch.

When he was ready, Tony put away the lube and straddled Gibbs' hips. Then he reached back and took hold of the vampire's cock, keeping it steady as he slowly lowered himself on it.

They both groaned with pleasure as Tony slid down, taking Gibbs to the hilt. There was a moment of stillness as they both got used to the familiar, but at the same time always new sensation of filling and being filled. Then Tony leaned forward, bracing his arms on either side of Gibbs.

"Let me do the entire job, okay?" he breathed, looking down at the vampire.

"Okay," Gibbs answered his voice equally breathless.

His mate slid back and forth over Gibbs' hips, riding him slowly, and the vampire, true to his word, let him do all the work, just rolling his hips under him now and then.

Tony's cock was hard and leaking against Gibbs' belly, as his mate kept moving, slow and steady, arching his back every time the older man's erection brushed against his prostate.

"May I?" Gibbs asked, reaching down with his left hand to touch Tony's cock.

"Yeah..." was the breathy answer and the vampire smiled at his mate pleasure-filled expression when his fist wrapped around the quivering cock and began pumping it in time with Tony's rising and falling.

Gibbs was rapidly approaching the point of no return, so he speeded up his movements on Tony's cock, using his thumb to sweep over the wet head, again and again until he felt his mate's inner muscles clamp down hard on him as warm liquid bathed his hand.

The vampire had barely the time experience the satisfaction he always felt when he brought his mate to orgasm that his own body went over the edge, and he came, his cock cocooned by Tony's still contracting muscles.

Tony sat down on Gibbs for a few moments, as he regained a bit of control over his breathing and jelly-like limbs, then he rose to his knees and pulled off the vampire.

He dropped down onto the bed next to Gibbs, and sighed. "That was good, Jethro, wasn't it?"

Gibbs turned his head to look at his mate and answered. "Very good." He found Tony's hand with his own and squeezed it. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," Tony replied with a big, impudent smile

"Oh...I didn't doubt it for a moment."

The younger man laughed as he stood up and went to fetch a wet washcloth, which he used to rub down both of them, before tossing it the general direction of the bathroom.

Tony pulled the blankets over them, switched off the lights and curled up next to Gibbs.

"'night Jethro," he murmured with a sleepy voice

"Goodnight, Tony," Gibbs answered, adjusting his body so he could still act as pillow for his mate while not putting too much pressure on his injured shoulder.

He was about to close his eyes, when suddenly Tony moved and the light was switched on again.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing, I just forgot to do something."

"What?"

"This," Tony murmured, stretching over Gibbs' chest to pose his lips delicately against his right shoulder. "I forgot to kiss it better."

Gibbs grinned and shook his head, touched by the gentle gesture. "Thank you. It already feels better. But now sleep."

Darkness had fallen again in the bedroom and soon afterward Gibbs himself drifting off to sleep, warm, sated and loved.

.

Liked it? Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	9. Chapter 9

**AAA= Angst Ahead Alert. This is the "storm-after-the-calm" chapter several of you had been expecting and/or fearing. Once again, I repeat what I wrote yesterday: don't jump to conclusions. The story is still long, with at least 10 more chapters, and many things are still bound to happen. **

**6-Masquerade**

Having his right arm immobilized was a constant source of frustration for Gibbs, but he took it and the pain as a Marine. Tony, Ziva and McGee tried to help him as much as they could without giving the impression of doing it in order not to irritate him, but even so, Gibbs couldn't wait to get rid of the sling.

He had decided he would start speeding up his healing starting from the next week. With a bit of luck, when he would ask Ducky to examine his shoulder because it no longer hurt, the good doctor would actually believe him and not think Gibbs was lying because too little time had passed since the trauma for the shoulder to be fine again.

Even so the next week couldn't come fast enough for the vampire and his frustration – and not just toward his shoulder – skyrocketed when, while tracking down the brother of a dead Marine who had been transporting a dirty bomb in his car, he found himself in front of M. Allison Hart again.

Their first showdown was in the hotel room when Gibbs and his team found Roman Vega's brother, locked up with Miss Hart and two private guards.

Gibbs couldn't almost believe it when he sniffed her scent a few seconds before she appeared and told her men to put their weapons down.

Then, as the calm was restored, she turned to greet him with, "Hello, Mr. Gibbs."

Gibbs forced himself to ignore his body's reaction to her scent and presence and focused only on his job. "You know each other?" he asked, pointing at Alfonso Vega.

"He's my client," Hart answered simply.

"Your _client_?" Gibbs echoed, almost disbelieving.

"That's right," came her reply, which sounded looked like she was explaining something to a child who had problem at understanding it.

"Since when, Alfonso?" Gibbs asked to the scared young man.

"Don't answer that," Hart ordered and Gibbs felt like growling and showing her his fangs to make her understand he really didn't like when people prevented him from doing his job, especially when there was a bomb threat.

His irritation increased even more when he overheard McGee comment, "This is going to get ugly," followed by Tony's answer, and "I hope so."

"Go on. Get out of here," Gibbs ordered to his team, ignoring Tony's pouting look, and the same did Hart with Vega and the guards.

"Have you seen the news lately?" Gibbs asked when they were alone, pointing at the switched on TV, where an anchorman was repeating for the tenth time since they had irrupted into the room that was a bomb threat in DC.

"I have," she confirmed, as if she was puzzled by his question.

"We don't have time for this," he tried to reason with her as he stepped closer.

"For what? The rule of law?"

"I don't have a problem with the law."

"Roman Vega was a new client of mine. He contacted me a few weeks ago."

"About?" Gibbs asked eagerly, only to be frustrated again by her reply, delivered with a smug smile.

"Sorry, attorney-client privilege."

Gibbs let out a soft growl and was pleased to see her eyes widen in surprise at his reaction. She licked her lips and said, "After Mr. Vega was killed, his brother called me. He was scared. He wanted to talk. Don't bother asking me about... What?" she stopped talking to look behind Gibbs' shoulder.

He turned around following the direction of her gaze and saw how his team was all gathered on the threshold, intent on listening without giving the impression of doing so.

Gibbs glared at them as he closed the door and returned to step in front of Hart, who reprised her story.

"As a precaution, I told him to meet me here, and I arranged for private security."

"Colonel Bell's men?" Gibbs asked looking closely at her, wanting to see how she reacted at the news he knew who she was.

He was disappointed, because she took it in stride without even batting an eyelash.

"Colonel Bell owed me a favor after I rescued him from that Mexican hellhole you sent him to," she explained.

"Not me, the rule of law. This also says I have the right to talk to Alfonso."

"Yes, it does," Hart agreed with a smile, "and you're more than welcome, as long as I'm in the room."

Gibbs just looked at her and nodded in agreement, before he moved to the door, closely followed by her.

M. Allison Hart had won this round, no doubt about it, but he had to make sure she wouldn't win the next one too.

She showed little respect for him, and while he could he accept it in private – after all, he had never cared much to be liked by everybody – he couldn't tolerate it when it interfered with his ability to do his job at his best.

Gibbs also hoped his irritation against Hart the lawyer would keep at bay his attraction for Allison the woman and vampire. He knew he and she would be closely observed by his team and he was aware of how acute Tony's power of observation was. He didn't want his mate to see how deeply she was affecting him, not before he had the time to speak with the younger man about clans and his damned vampire instinct and the urges it was stirring in him.

It wasn't a conversation Gibbs was looking forward to having, but this last meeting with Hart had made clear it wasn't something he could postpone for much longer.

**XXX**

Tony was in the observation room, looking as Gibbs, Hart and Vega sat down in the interrogation room. He was waiting for the fireworks between his boss and the lawyer lady, although he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling he might end up not liking them.

He had seen how they had interacted in that hotel room and felt how charged the air had been around them—and not with just Gibbs' irritation or Hart's smugness.

There had been something else…something elusive, as if those two had been talking to each other about two different topics at once, but had used words for just one of them.

"Did I miss it?" McGee asked as he arrived into the room, looking like he had been running to arrive in time.

"Nope, just starting. Where's Ziva?"

"Bringing the popcorn."

Tony smiled as he returned to look in front of him.

"_Mr. Gibbs is trying to make you nervous,"_ Miss Hart was saying to Alfonso Vega, her blue eyes looking almost amused as she stared at Gibbs. _"Don't let him."_

"_Special Agent,"_ Gibbs said so low Tony almost missed it.

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Special Agent Gibbs,"_ the Boss stressed. _"And I'm not trying to make you nervous. I just need answers. And I think you want answers too, considering your brother is dead."_

"_Now he's trying to piss you off,"_ Hart commented. _"Just ask the questions."_

"_You talked to your brother, right, before the explosion?"_ Gibbs asked to Vega

"_Yeah,"_ the boy answered after getting a nod from his lawyer, something that always irritated Gibbs and Tony. How was it possible people needed to be told what they could say or not? Especially if they were innocent?

"_What did he say?"_

Another look at the lawyer, another nod, and another roll of eyes from Tony.

"_He told me to run."_

"_Why?"_

"_Don't answer that,"_ Hart tried to stop that line of questioning but Gibbs ignored her.

"_Did he tell you why he was transporting radioactive material?"_

"_Don't answer that,"_ Hart interjected again, but Gibbs was on a roll now and he delivered the first blow.

"_Did you know that he was a member Libertad Nueva?"_ he asked calmly and Tony could only imagine the flash of triumph in his blue eyes when it became clear Hart hadn't the slightest idea of what Libertad Nueva was.

"_Looks like you didn't,"_ Gibbs commented, tilting his head toward the lawyer.

"Nicely done," Tony approved, as Hart lost a lot of her smugness.

"Ziva better hurry or she is going to miss it," McGee commented at his side as they kept on watching the show.

"_Would you like to confer with your client?"_ Gibbs asked, gesturing with his hand, his voice full of amusement. _"Because I think he knows something you don't know."_

"_Look, Roman didn't do anything wrong,"_ Vega spoke before Hart could stop him.

"_We need a moment alone,"_ she hissed, but her client shook his head. _"Yes! He's fishing, and that's dangerous. Mr. Gibbs has put plenty of guilty men behind bars, but he's also put some innocent ones away."_

_Innocent?_ Tony commented in his mind. _Such as Colonel Bell? He wasn't innocent by my book._

In the interrogation room, Alfonso Vega had been shaken up enough to talk without waiting to be said yes or no, which made things easier for Gibbs.

"_What's Libertad Nueva?"_ the boy asked.

"_They're drug dealers, terrorists."_

"_No. Roman would never be involved in either one of those."_

"_But he was involved with something."_

"_Don't answer that,"_ Hart tried again, but it was useless.

"_I want answers, too,"_ Vega told her, before he returned to face Gibbs and went on, _"I don't know what Roman was messed up in, but whatever it was, had him really freaked out. He wouldn't give me any details, but..."_

"_He wanted you to do something,"_ Gibbs surmised, as in front of him Hart was reduced to glaring at him, something Tony was pretty sure his boss was enjoying a lot. He loved when lawyers finally fell silent and let him do his job.

"_I work for a cell phone company,"_ Vega confirmed. _"He asked me to back-trace some calls to a warehouse in Virginia. He wouldn't tell me why. He just told me not to trust anybody. I hope I'm not making a mistake trusting you."_

Miss Hart scoffed and glared at Gibbs with her arms crossed over her chest, the perfect, polite picture of a pissed off lawyer, but the way she looked at his partner as he stood up to leave the room, told Tony a very different story.

He had been in the dating game for far too long not to recognize when people were attracted to each other, even when they tried to hide or taper it down, and the lawyer lady wasn't even trying very hard to mask her feelings or interest for Gibbs.

**XXX**

Gibbs was sore and tired when he arrived home that evening. He was also pissed off, for hadn't the bomb been assembled incorrectly, he would be dead, because there was only so much damage a vampire could stand…or was it? After all he had survived when Pin Pin Pula had tried to blow him up a few years before. But McGee would be dead for sure, and that was more enough to be thoroughly pissed off.

Sighing, Gibbs moved toward the stairs; he wanted to be in more comfortable clothes by the time Tony arrived with their dinner. However he had just taken a couple of steps when a by now familiar scent assaulted his senses.

M. Allison Hart was there, in his house. He followed her scent to his living room, and spotted her sitting on the couch, enveloped by darkness.

"Am I the only one who needs a warrant?" he asked as he tried to decide if he was pleased or not to find her there.

"Door was unlocked," was her answer, as she remained calmly sat on the couch as if she was the owner of the place and he the unwanted guest.

"Well, that's going to end soon!" he retorted.

Finally she stood up as she exclaimed, "How dare you use my client as bait!"

"Your client was lying to me," Gibbs answered calmly, enjoying how he had managed to make her lose some of her composure. "He knew how to find his brother."

"He was protecting his brother. Roman was innocent, in case you didn't notice."

"Well, then he didn't need protection," he replied, shrugging and enjoying the banter.

"Oh, is that how it works? You never put the wrong guy away?" Hart glared at him from across the room.

"And you've never helped the wrong guy get away?" Gibbs asked rhetorically, as he switched on the lights in the living room. It wasn't necessary, since they were both vampires and had a very good nightly vision, but he still preferred to face her with no darkness to offer her any chance to hide. She was on a defensive mood, it was clear by the way she kept her arms crossed over the chest, in an instinctive attempt to protect herself and he wanted to shake her up and get some answers about what the hell she wanted from him.

"That's a very nice suit you're wearing," he continued, gesturing to her clothes and smiling inwardly as she lowered her arms to straighten them. "Roman Vega isn't going to pay for that. It is scum like Colonel Bell that does."

"Everyone is entitled to a defense," she explained.

"Yeah, but you don't have to be the one to do it. I guess with rates like yours, you don't ask too many questions."

"I do plenty of pro bono work," Hart replied, more defensively.

"Yeah, you know what? I checked into that. You get- oh, I don't know- maybe five requests a week, but the only ones you seem to do are the ones that take you across my path," Gibbs said, as he stepped closer to her, trying to intimidate her with his superior height.

He realized quickly it might have been a risky move because her scent was stronger in such close range, and her pheromones were making him dizzy as the first time they had met.

"Are you really that conceited?" she retorted, tilting her head up to keep on staring at him in the eye.

"You're standing in my house!" he exclaimed taking another step closer. "You didn't know anything about Roman Vega's case, but you took him on as a client anyway."

"He needed help," Allison whispered, because she was no longer Hart in his eyes and hormones-fogged mind. She was Allison, beautiful Allison and the need to reach out to her was getting stronger by the moment. A part of his brain was screaming him – with a voice that sounded very much like his old DI at boot camp – to step away, not to let her effect him so much. The other instead was telling him to let his fangs descend and show her what a vampire he was. To show her he was worthy of her, to be her mate and to have her in his clan.

"You knew that it was going to land you in front of me," he stressed, in a soft voice as he studied her face. There…she was losing her control. He could smell it and see in her dilated pupils and hurried breathing.

"Don't flatter yourself," Allison tried a last time, but it was useless because her body was betraying her true feelings. Her fangs were descending, but instead of giving her a feral look, as Gibbs knew happened to him, she now looked more feminine and pretty.

"Yet here you are… again," he whispered, his eyes darting from her pupils to her mouth.

"I have my reasons," she replied, equally low, as she stepped closer to him.

"Yeah, and I have a job to do. And you keep getting in the way." They were now so close they were sharing breath and Gibbs knew he was only seconds away from letting his fangs descend and kiss her. His whole being yearned for it, to seize her mouth and then claim her, make her a member of his clan and finally satisfy the need she had stirred inside him from the first moment they had met…

The front door opened and closed as Tony entered in the foyer calling, "Pizza is here, Boss!"

They separated quickly at the sound of the young man's voice, but not quickly enough. Gibbs knew that Tony would understand at once, with just a look at his face, what had happened …almost happened…no, happened. They might have not kissed but the enormity of what he had done was still there.

Tony seemed to regain his control more quickly than the two vampires and with a calmly modulated voice asked, "Do you want me to return later, Boss?"

"No, DiNozzo," Gibbs finally managed to say. "It won't be necessary; Miss Hart is leaving."

She took the hint and didn't even try to protest or utter some smart retort. She just picked up her briefcase and after wishing both of them good night, she left the house.

Gibbs watched by the window as she climbed in her car and drove away, then he turned around.

Tony had posed the box with the pizza on the coffee table and was now standing by the fireplace, fist fists clenching and unclenching at his side.

_You really did it, Marine,_ his inner DI growled into his mind. _Look at him! This is what happens at postponing things. You should have talked to him as soon as he returned from Paris, not wait for the 'right' moment. What the hell of right moment were you waiting for?_

"Care to explain what is going on?" Tony's tense voice intruded into his thoughts.

Gibbs didn't duck the question. "I found her waiting for me when McGee drove me here. We started arguing about me using her client as bait…and we got carried away."

"Yeah…I saw that. Was it just my imagination or there was something weird with her teeth?"

"There was. She's a vampire too," Gibbs saw no point in denying it.

"And you know this since-?"

"Right from the start. You know we can smell each other."

"Right." Tony ran his hand into his hair in frustration, and then began pacing around the room. "So, is that why you're attracted to her? Don't deny it. I knew it even before I walked on you." A swallow, then, "Is her being a vampire making you like her more than me?"

Gibbs wanted to pull at his hair until his eyes watered for the pain as heard Tony's anguished questions. His mate was hurting and he was responsible for it.

"No, Tony, it's not that," he exclaimed fiercely, taking a step forward. "I could never like anyone more than you. I love you." The vampire mustered all of his love and sent it to Tony using their connection, hoping it would show him mate how sincere he was.

"Then why were you about to kiss her? Just for the thrill of kissing another vampire?" Tony asked sarcastic but Gibbs noticed he had stopped his restless pacing.

"Nope…there is more," Gibbs answered softly, as he sat down on the couch. A few moments later Tony joined him, but made sure their bodies didn't touch. The vampire ached for the distance, both real and metaphorical separating them, but did nothing to close it.

"I'm listening," Tony said, sitting rigidly.

"Female vampires are very rare, very precious creatures and the males are genetically driven to want to protect them and care for them, even with women like M. Allison Hart, who clearly can fend for themselves. I…Tony, you must realize I'm an oddity among the vampires, being born from a female vampire and being the father of another, when a lot males of my species never met a female in their entire existence." Gibbs threw a look at his mate and saw how intently the younger man was listening to him. "Even when I was a child with no idea of what I was, I wanted to protect my Mom. I didn't go to shop with her…I escorted her. Later, with Kelly, I was protective to the point of obsession. Had I had my way, she would have been home schooled and would have go out to play in the park only when I was there to look over her. But Shannon didn't want to hear any of it- and she was right, my daughter didn't deserve to live in that way. And then…" the vampire's voice faltered for a moment before he continued, "then I wasn't able to protect any of them. They all died. I failed my duty as son, father, husband and vampire. And now Allison is here, and even if I've no idea of what she is up to, my instinct is screaming at me to protect her."

"Protecting her doesn't mean you have to kiss her, Jethro," Tony said softly, reasonably. "Nor your desire to care for her explains the obvious attraction between you."

"You're right…I don't want just to protect her. I want to bring her in my clan," Gibbs explained, his eyes studying him mate, waiting for his reaction.

"Your clan?" Tony repeated, puzzled. "You mean the team?"

"No. You're my clan."

His mate shook his head, frowning. "I don't think I understand."

Gibbs took a deep breath and plunged ahead, "I want her as my mate too." There he had said it, and he felt already better. He hated to keep secret from Tony, even when it was for his own good. But of course telling the truth didn't mean things would now be better. It probably meant he had just managed to hurt his mate even more.

"You- you want her as a mate too? You want us to get in threesome with her?" Tony's voice rose in shock.

"No," Gibbs answered calmly. "Clans don't work like that. It wouldn't be a threesome…more like polygamy. With a first mate…this would be you…and one or more secondary mates. I would do it with your permission and approval." The younger man opened his mouth to protest again, but the vampire was quicker. "I know this is shocking for you, Tony. Hell, it's shocking for me too. Never in my life had I thought something like this could happen to me, but Bill says it's normal for vampire males. He has gone through it too."

"You talked to Bill about this?" Tony asked, surprised. "You told him about you having the hots for Miss Hart?"

Gibbs cringed at the crude description, but nodded. "Of course I went to him. What else could I do when I realized my interest for her wasn't just a passing fancy? Was more than just having the hots for her? I wanted to understand what was going with me, for I didn't want to do something that would hurt you…and yet, I managed to just that."

"Yes," Tony nodded seriously. "You did." He stood up and added, "I'm no longer hungry. I'm going home now."

Gibbs' heart ached at hearing his mate's hurt tone, knowing he had caused it. In that moment the temptation to use his power of persuasion and make Tony forget everything he had seen and heard became almost impossible to resist. It would be so easy to erase the past hour from the younger man's memory—but Gibbs had too much respect for his mate to do that. And also that wouldn't represent a real solution, not when he was so taken by Allison and sure he would meet her again soon.

So he just nodded at Tony's words, and escorted him to the door, where his mate said simply, "See you tomorrow, Boss. Good night."

"Good night," Gibbs echoed, watching as the younger man walked slowly down the path until he reached the small white gate. There he stopped and stood still for a couple of minutes, his hand posed on the gate and ready to push it open. Then suddenly Tony turned on his heels and retraced his steps.

"Boss, can you give me Bill's address?" he asked when he was again near Gibbs. "I know he's the vampire dean and I'm not a vampire, but maybe he'll find the time to talk with a vampire's mate, uh? Tell me more about clans…?"

A bit of the anguish that had been weighting down on the older man lifted upon hearing Tony call himself 'a vampire's mate' and asking to see Bill. It meant the younger man wasn't ready to walk away and end things between them. To the contrary, it looked like Tony wanted to know more about what was pushing Gibbs and it gave the vampire hope the rift between them could be mended.

"He'll find it. He lives in Annandale, Brook Street 170."

Tony typed the address in his PDA, and then put it away. There was a moment of stillness, and then the younger man surged forward and quickly kissed Gibbs' cheek. "See you tomorrow, Jethro," he whispered against the vampire's skin, before turning on his heels and walking to his car and driving away, leaving behind a very confused but also very hopeful Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

.

OK, don't hate me or Gibbs…He committed a mistake but Tony isn't yet ready to write him off. I hope you will do the same with me or the story. As I said before, this is a Gibbs/Tony tale and will continue to be so. The focus will stay firmly on them. As I said, there is much more to come, and I think you'll find Tony's conversation with Bill interesting.

In the meantime, let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **

**PLEASE READ IT!**

**Because I've the feeling people don't read what I write and I'm getting tired to repeat myself.**

**I would like to remind to everyone Gibbs' rule #8: Never take anything for granted.**

**A lot of people are assuming where this story is leading or what will happen etc. I got people telling me "this is taking it too far for me". Which is fine, but based on the WRONG assumption they know where this story is leading- BUT THEY MOST CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S LEADING.**

**I've told you not to jump to conclusions, but it seems a lot of people are doing just that. **

**I love this Gibbs/Tony AU...do you really think I would jeopardize it?**

**.**

**Now, back to our regular schedule, thank you to tinkerbellblu83 and Rachel for the reviews**

**X **

The following days were pretty quiet for Gibbs, both on the job and in his life.

The day after Tony had caught him almost kissing Hart, he had gone to work not knowing what he would find when he arrived. While Tony's last lines and his kiss had somehow reassured him, the vampire hadn't been able to sleep, and had been afraid he would see the signs of an equally restless night on his mate's face.

However, he couldn't find any. Also his mate had looked completely normal with none of the exaggerated humor or forced cheerfulness he used to cover his real feelings when he was hurt or worried. Tony instead had been quiet and thoughtful, and Gibbs considered it as positive signs.

As for himself, during his long hours alone, and especially during the nights, when he couldn't sleep well with Tony curled against him, the vampire decided to keep a strong hold over himself and not try to pressure the younger man to talk until his mate felt like doing it. Gibbs was also dead set on not letting M. Allison Hart affect him so much when they met again, and not to react to any of her advances – either to accept or reject them – until he knew what his mate thought about it.

He would also refrain from inquiring with Bill to know if Tony had gone to visit him. This was gonna be only his mate's decision and Gibbs didn't want to influence it in the least.

He just hoped that whatever Tony would decide, he would make his mind soon, because Gibbs missed him, and not just in his bed. He missed the young man in the kitchen, in the living room, in the basement, in the backyard…and he wanted, no, needed Tony back.

**XXX**

Annandale, Brook Street 170. A simple house with a well cared for garden in front, a large backyard and two cars parked in the driveway.

It looked no different from all the other houses in the street, but it was special because it was Bill Hendricks' residence and he was a very special guy indeed.

Georgetown University history professor, well-respected writer, vampire dean for DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey—and the only man beside Jackson Gibbs allowed to call Tony's partner and boss by his first name, Leroy.

Leroy…Jethro…Boss. Tony was there, in front of Bill's house, because he wanted to understand what was going on in Gibbs' mind, heart and body.

Catching his partner almost kissing M. Allison Hart had been like a stab to the heart for Tony.

In the brief seconds that had taken them to separate and he had seen the guilt on Gibbs' face, Tony had seen his worst nightmare become reality: the man he loved above and beyond anything in his life was going to leave him for a woman…a vampire woman. Of all the scenarios Tony had ever imagined, this one had never crossed his mind.

And then Gibbs had started talking, all the while keeping his end of their mental connection open. As his partner talked, as he tried to explain, Tony had slowly calmed down, as guilt, remorse, sincerity, confusion but above all love washed over him. He had calmed down and listened as Gibbs told him with words and thoughts he had no intention to leave him for Hart, and how Tony would always come first in his heart…but also how strong was the need to have Hart in his life…in his 'clan'. He wanted her as his mate too.

Tony shivered. To him love equaled fidelity and his Boss was the most loyal man he had ever know…It wasn't like him to cheat. But could what Gibbs wanted to do qualify as 'cheating'? As betrayal?

Gibbs didn't want to go behind Tony's back. He didn't want secrets, lies or excuses. He wanted to do it with the younger man's permission and approval.

Tony's first reaction upon hearing it had been to tell Gibbs that he could forget about ever getting his permission or approval. That he didn't want to share the older man with anyone and that Gibbs could stick his vampire nature where the sun didn't shine, because he was Tony's—and only Tony's.

However, the younger man had refrained from doing it, because he had remembered that the vampire nature that was now causing him such grief was also the same vampire nature that had allowed Gibbs to save Tony's life when the NCIS garage had collapsed or, more recently, when he had been in Somalia with Ziva.

Hadn't Gibbs been a vampire, Tony would have died in that garage, bleeding out long before the rescue squads could freed them. Ducky had told him so during the one and only conversation he and Tony had about that incident, before Gibbs had been forced to erase those events from the ME's memory.

As for Somalia, it didn't take a genius to guess what would have happened had he and Ziva assaulted Saleem's compound without the help of Major Selassie and his men.

So Tony had held his tongue and decided to think – _really_ think – before talking. Today visit was to help him to do just that. He needed to understand what was going on with Jethro and he hoped Bill would help him to do that.

Straightening his shoulders, Tony took a moment to collect his self, and then rang the bell.

The door opened almost immediately and by the look on Bill's face, the vampire dean wasn't surprised at all to see Tony there.

After all, Gibbs had been talking with Bill about his 'problem' and maybe the dean, used to dealing with vampires and their human mates had been somehow expecting Tony's visit.

"Bill," he said, reaching out with his hand.

"Tony. It's a pleasure to see you here. Please come in." The vampire gestured him inside and Tony found himself following the other man across a house that reminded him of Ducky's, but in a smaller scale.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Bill asked as they stepped in what looked to be a library.

"No, thank you. I- uh, well my stomach is too knotted to accept something to drink or eat," Tony answered with a little, nervous laugh as he sat down on a leather couch.

Bill nodded in understanding, as he sat down on a nearby armchair. "Let's see if I'm able to help you to unknot it," he said kindly.

Tony smiled, grateful. "I guess you know why I'm here."

"Given the topic of my recent talk with Leroy, yes, I've a good idea of what you wish to discuss."

"Yeah…I bet it was quite a talk," Tony began.

"Indeed. It wasn't easy for Leroy to talk about his feelings, and he was really taken aback by my answers."

Tony tilted his head, curious. "How so?"

"He wasn't expecting them. Tony, Leroy may be in his fifties, but as a vampire, he is still, well, like an adolescent. There are still many things he doesn't know about being a vampire. I told him things that only managed to confuse him, because he doesn't know how to react to them."

"Is his reaction to M. Allison Hart one of them?"

Bill smirked, "I gather you met her too."

"Yep. Very interesting lady. Very intriguing, even before I knew she is a vampire too."

"Well, as I said, Leroy is bit like a teenager at this moment, as far as Allison is concerned. He's like a shy boy who had just met his dream girl and that girl has told him she is willing to go out with him. Vampire females do that effect on the males of our species. I'm 410 year old and, as dean, I've met some of them, so you could say I'm used to them. Yet, every time I see an unmated one, I've a bit of trouble in controlling myself."

"Are they really so rare? So…precious, as Gibbs said? Because Miss Hart mentioned having a sister…"

"Allison's sister is really her half-sister, born from her human mother's first marriage. She's not a vampire. As for your question, yes, they are so rare. We don't know exactly why the male/female ratio is so unbalanced, but I guess it could be because of biology laws."

"Uh?" Tony uttered. "I don't think I understand…ahem…biology was never my forte at high school."

Bill smiled. "Then I'll give you a crash course in Vampire Biology 101. Well, it's not really vampire biology, more like animal biology, and vampire are affected by its laws as much as the humans are, despite all of our species' evolution. Because of these laws, it has always been seen as normal that young women paired off with older men. In nature females are attracted to those males who have survived and won many fights against other males or enemies, and thus are more likely to produce strong progeny. In the same way, males are attracted to younger females because they are more fertile. This is also why, upon very recent times, it wasn't common to see a man paired off with an older woman-"

"Tell it to Ashton Kutcher…Uh, sorry. Please go on," Tony apologized with a smile when Bill threw him a glare from behind his round, metal-rimmed glasses.

"-because, biologically speaking, it makes no sense for a young male to mate with a female already past her more fertile age."

"Okay, I understand that, but what it has to do with vampire females?"

"It serves to explain you that vampire females, as the females of most species, tend to be monogamous and this is probably the reason they are so rare. When our species' characteristics were so fixed and dominant that the mating of a vampire with a human gave birth to a full vampire, vampire females became rarer and rarer, because our kin started to produce more males. Males are genetically polygamous - if they are allowed to pursue that inclination, that is- and their clans offered them more chances to produce offspring and perpetuate our species."

Tony frowned and asked, "Are telling me these 'clans' are like a herd? You know, with a stallion and his mares?"

"Yes and no," Bill answered and Tony all but rolled his eyes.

"Please, don't give me cryptic answers."

"I will…but it involves more vampire biology. Are you ready for it?"

"Fire away…I'm ready."

"Very well." Bill paused a moment, as if he was collecting his thoughts, then he continued, "At the start of our history, vampires lived only sucking human blood. Yes, Tony, they hunted and killed humans for their blood as the humans hunted and killed the animals for their meat. But, luckily for everyone involved, vampires soon realized that killing humans wasn't practical, because it resulted in the humans hunting them down as retaliation and, given the vampires low numbers, it was very dangerous for the survival of the species. So the male vampires changed technique. Instead of hunting humans, they began to gather willing ones around them and to form clans. The clans were composed by several humans and the vampire sucked a bit of blood from each of his clan members. In this way he got the nourishment he needed without killing anyone. That was the origin of the clans—and this is the reason because vampire females became rarer. Because it wasn't in their nature to form clans, and thus it was more difficult for them to find enough food to survive…back then vampires did die without proper nourishment."

"So it's just a matter of food?" Tony asked, almost unbelievably.

"No, of course not. Otherwise, the clans would have disappeared when vampires started eating like humans and the need of blood became less strong. The clans, which were composed mostly by human females and the occasional vampire female, started to became more than a source of food for the male. They offered companionship, comfort, love and, of course, many chances to produce children. In exchange, the clan members received love, care, protection."

Tony shook his head, "It sounds so weird."

"Maybe, but polygamy has existed in some form or the other in many ancient societies and, while it's true it no longer exist in the Western world, it's still a common practice in some African or Asian countries. However, in these societies the women seldom have any choice about who they are married off to, while in the clans they always have the freedom to leave and they are equal partners. Clans have become smaller and less frequent as the human societies evolved and mostly ruled out polygamy, but the need to form them is still very strong in male vampires. It's especially strong in dominant males and I think you'll agree with me if I say Leroy is _very_ dominant."

Tony snorted, amused; it was like Bill had just asked him if he agreed the sky was blue or the grass green.

"He told me you too have gone through…this," the young man asked, gesturing with his hand to indicate what the vampire had just said.

"Yes, that's true. I was born in a clan, and along the centuries I've spent my life mostly in monogamous relationship…but now and then I've been lucky enough to find mates able to understand my needs to allow me to appease them, and so I have had clans of my own," Bill explained in a gentle tone, his gaze seeming so far away Tony wondered what he was remembering.

"Have you… Do you have one? Now? A clan, I mean?" Tony asked as silence fell over them.

Bill nodded, "Yes, I've. A small one, because I could never ask to Lynn and Marie to share me with another woman. It would be too much."

"Lynn and Marie?" Tony repeated. "You have two wives?"

"Two mates. According to the law, I've a wife, Lynn, and a lover, Marie."

"And they know each other?"

"Of course. We all live here, together."

"Oh." Tony stared at the man in front of him. Bill reminded him of a young Ducky, with his gold-rimmed glasses, classical haircut, elegant features and refined manners. If was difficult to imagine him doing something as immoral as living with two women…he looked so proper. Of course, no one would imagine he was a vampire either, so he was a demonstration looks can be deceiving.

"Does this notion bother you, Tony?" Bill asked after a while.

"Well...uh…" Tony blushed. "You don't look like a guy involved in a threesome…"

"Because I'm not. I'm not intimate with my two mates at the same time, nor is there a sexual relationship between them. I dedicate equal time, attention and care to each of my girls. We take important decisions all together and spend time all together, but the love relationship I have with each of my mates is something private, just between me and her," the vampire explained.

"I see…Well, no, I don't really see it." Frustrated, Tony ran a hand in his hair, making it stand at end. "I don't think it's easy for them to accept such situation—especially for Lynn, your wife."

"You're right, it wasn't. Humans have evolved, women are far more emancipated than in the past, and only a small number of them would accept willingly, knowingly and without resentment to share their husbands. As I said before, I'm very lucky to have found one of them. But when I first knew Marie, it wasn't easy to convince Lynn to accept her. She saw my interest as a betrayal of our marriage vows."

"Then what made her change her mind?" Tony, asking leaning forward to listen more intently, but the voice that answered his question didn't come from the man sitting in front of him, but from behind his back.

"I realized his love for me was as strong and sincere as ever."

Tony's head whipped around and saw a beautiful young woman with short blond hair and dark eyes standing on the threshold. He stood up and she stepped into the room and offered her hand.

"Lynn Hendricks," she introduced herself with a smile.

"Anthony DiNozzo, Tony for short," he replied. Then sat up again and watched as Lynn perched herself on Bill's armchair.

Husband and wife exchanged a look and Bill nodded. Lynn returned to look at Tony and said, "It took me time, but I finally understood that Bill loving Marie didn't make him love me less, nor it meant he found me lacking in something. And since I loved him as deeply, and I was aware that while I don't know what being a vampire means, I know what being a vampire's means, I did what I felt I had to do." Lynn was still smiling, but her eyes were completely serious.

Tony took a deep breath before saying, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to do the same. The idea of sharing Jethro with M. Allison Hart scares me. She's beautiful, intelligent and she's a female vampire. She can understand his nature and give him children, something I'll never be able to do. What if he, by being with her, discovers he doesn't want me anymore?"

Lynn shook her head. "Tony, Leroy…or Jethro, as you call him, loves you. I've seen the way his eyes shine when he talk about you and when a vampire loves like that, is really until 'death do part us'. There is no divorce between a vampire and his or her mate, unless the other party does want it. Didn't Leroy tell you what?"

"Lynn is right, Bill interjected. "Allison isn't a threat to you, in the same way you aren't threat for the love Leroy feels and will always feel for Shannon. Nor is her memory a threat to you."

"She's dead; there isn't much she could do to threaten me…" Tony commented.

The vampire dean frowned. "You and I know it's not true, not with a man like Leroy. The love he still feels for Shannon, the love I'm sure you must have felt thanks to your mental connection, would make a lot of people feel unsecure of his feelings for them. His first ex-wife was like that. Leroy told her about his late family when she asked him why she couldn't go inside those two rooms he always keeps locked and their marriage went downhill from the moment the 'you love a dead woman more than me' line was uttered."

"I didn't know about it," Tony murmured.

Bill snorted, "Not surprising, given how private Leroy is. But you know there are no deception or half-truths in a mental connection such as the one you share, which, incidentally is the greatest proof of Leroy's commitment to you and vice versa. Only a few vampires are lucky enough to experience something like that. I, for one, have never had one with any of my mates. As for Allison, she's a female vampire and, as such, it's already in her _forma mentis_ to be _one_ mate, not _the_ mate. She won't make trouble because she knows there is nothing she can do to separate a vampire from his mate-"

"What do you mean, aside from killing me or making me go to prison?" Tony interjected.

Bill laughed. "I see you share Leroy's opinion about lawyers, but I know her since she was a child, and she is an honest person. She won't hurt you."

"I'll trust you on this," Tony replied with a smile, as glanced at his watch. He was surprised by how quickly time had passed. "I must go now. It is getting late, and I need to think about what you said me."

He stood up, quickly imitated by Bill and Lynn. The couple walked him to the door in silence, but once there, the vampire dean said, "I want you to know this conversation will stay between us. I won't say anything to Leroy about it, at the same way I didn't tell you anything detailed about what he said me. However, this I can tell you: Leroy is dead set to let her go and suffocate his instinct if you ask him to do so."

Tony nodded and murmured, "I know, he told me. But he will suffer because of it, won't he?" It was more of an affirmation

than a question.

"Yes," Bill and Lynn replied softly in unison, "he will."

Tony just nodded and after thanking and shaking hands with the couple, he raised the collar of his jacket to stave off the cold of the late afternoon and walked to his car, lost in thought. He had much to ponder on his way back to DC.

.

OK, I hope Bill's explanation was clear. It was much for Tony to take in, because vampire think so differently from humans. In a way, this is what happens every time two people belonging to different cultures meet and fall in love. A lot of these marriages fail because one or both partner(s) is/are unwilling to compromise and accept the other's different views.

What I'm trying to do is to show that both Tony and Gibbs are trying to compromise or at least to understand each other's needs…Please let me know what you think, and remember reviews make me update faster!

**PS: Remember Rule # 8!**


	11. Chapter 11

**OK, this is hopefully going to be my last A/N regarding this topic, at least for a while.**

**To all those readers still wary about the outcome of this story, I would like for you to read the very thoughtful review a faithful reader of this saga, pfyre1, wrote for chapter 10.**

**If you do it, you'll see she talked about two only possible options regarding the outcome of this storyline, which basically are the ones you are so concerned about.**

**I answered to her review by pointing out there is a third option and sent her the final scene of this story. **

**After she read it, she agreed with me that yes, there is a third option.**

**If you take a closer look to what Gibbs thought in chapter 1, to what he said to Bill when they talked, and to a line he will say in the chapter you are about to read, you might get some clues about where this story will go and about the 'third option'...**

**.**

**Thanks so much to Dreamcatcher for the lovely review! I'm so happy you were caught by this story so much you went back and read the entire series. :) And if having Gibbs in a fic is a major plus for you, well, Gibbs is the reason I'm in this fandom, so all my stories involve him, even when told by someone else's POV.**

**Thanks so much to Moonlight for the lovely review! I really appreciate it. All I can say about your concern is: remember Rule number 8!**

**XXX**

Gibbs had just finished eating his meager dinner, when he heard the familiar noise of Tony's car engine. His heartbeat sped up. This was the first time Tony had come to see him since the night of their talk about clans, but he tried to keep his hope under control.

A moment later he heard Tony try to turn the knob, followed by a knock on the door.

Gibbs went to open and let his mate in.

"You put a lock on the door?" Tony asked, puzzled.

"Yep. To keep out unwanted guests," Gibbs answered with intent. "Your copies of the keys are here," he added pointing to the narrow table near the wall. "If you want them."

Tony looked at him, his eyes bright and full of emotion and replied, "Of course I want them, Jethro." A pause then, "I'm just back from visiting Bill in Annandale."

Gibbs arched an eyebrow. So this was why Tony had asked for a free afternoon, not to go to the dentist as claimed. He was surprised his mate had managed to fool him, but then remembered how tense Tony had been when the young man had made his request, and decided that he had wanted to be fooled. Tony was never that nervous when he had to go to the dentist.

Oh well, it was probably for the best Gibbs hadn't known. The afternoon had been a very boring one, with just cold cases and a meeting with Vance. He would have found very hard to concentrate had he known where Tony was.

"How did it go?" the vampire asked as he led the way to the living room.

Tony sat down on the couch and Gibbs did the same as he studied his mate.

"Good, I guess. We talked and he explained me about the clans and how male vampires have the instinct to form their own clan. I also talked with Lynn…she told me how she felt when Bill first approached her about Marie. Boss…she felt pretty much as I feel now," Tony completed, rising his earnest eyes to meet Gibbs'.

"And how do you feel?" the older man asked quietly.

"Upset. Angry, because this is messing up the best thing that ever happened to me. Scared you may leave me for her."

"That could never happen!" Gibbs exclaimed with vehemence. "I love you, what we have is real and it's for life. I won't ever hurt you, and if you can't accept this need of mine, well, so be it, I'll do without." The vampire reached out to squeeze Tony's arm. "You must believe me."

The younger man raised his hand and caressed Gibbs' cheek. "I believe you, Jethro. I really do. And I know you won't pursue this further if I say 'no', but at the moment I don't know what I'm going to say…I don't know if I will be able to accept to share you with another person or if it will be impossible for me to accept you want/need another mate. I'm still trying to understand _why_ you would need another one."

Gibbs opened his mouth to talk, but Tony stopped him with a raised hand. "Let me explain first. You know that before we got together, I wasn't a fan of exclusivity, although I was never as promiscuous as I led the others to believe. I didn't believe in exclusivity 'cause I didn't think a single person could give me everything I needed or wanted or was looking for. Then we fell for each other and I realized I had been wrong. A single person could give me everything I needed or wanted, but it had to be the right one. It had to be you. It was an amazing discovery, and even more amazing was to know I was giving you everything you needed and wanted." The young man's voice was full of wonder, even now, almost three years after they had gotten together. He shook his head as he tried to express himself, probably without realizing his emotions were leaking along their mental connection. "For someone like me, who had always felt they were never enough, it was mind-blowing. And now…now you drop this bombshell. You tell me you need something I cannot give you because, well, I can't duplicate myself, and this isn't setting well with me. My old feelings of inadequacy are raising their ugly heads again."

Gibbs shook his head gently, trying to find the right words to say. Since the night he had revealed himself to Tony, talking had become a little easier for him, at least with his mate, but there were times he envied how effortlessly Abby or Tony talked about their feelings. He still preferred to let actions show how he felt, but there were times when actions weren't enough and people needed words—and this was one of them.

"You must not feel like that. There is nothing inadequate in you. You're a wonderful man, but as you said, there can't be two of you—'cause perfection cannot be duplicated." Gibbs smiled weakly; relieved by the flash of emotion he had seen in his mate's eyes. "Tony, my instinct is making me wish for things I never wanted before. But as I'm not led by my dick, I'm not led by my instinct either. I plan to fight this, and maybe we wouldn't even be here talking about it, if Miss Hart didn't caught me by surprise and threw my defenses upside down."

Tony smiled and interjected, "Bill says you're bit like a teenager, still learning how to behave around girls."

Gibbs shook his head ruefully, "Well, yeah, he's probably right. I guess this is why I let her effect me so much—and by doing it, I hurt you. I'm sorry, Tony. Sorry I caused you to feel unsecure, but I swear you've no reason to feel so. I love you, and you'll always come first in my heart."

"I know," Tony replied, with that big, toothy smile Gibbs had been dying to see again. "I accept your apology, Leroy Jethro 'don't-apologize-it's-a-sign-of-weakness' Gibbs. And because _you_ come first in_ my_ heart, I'll take the time to seriously think if I can find a way to deal with this that won't sacrifice your instinct or mine. What do you think, Jethro?"

Gibbs looked deeply into Tony's eyes and murmured, "That I was right: you're perfect, Anthony."

His mate blushed, clearly embarrassed by the compliment, and tried to escape from it in his usual way. "It doesn't feel like that when you head slap me at work, Boss."

Gibbs grinned and replied, "You're wrong. No one can irritate me in the way you do, so you're perfect in that too."

Tony laughed at this last line, and Gibbs joined it. Then silence fell over them as the two men looked deeply at each other. The distance that separated them during the previous days had disappeared…as was doing the distance separating their faces now.

Slowly but surely their heads leant forward, until their lips met in a deep kiss that all but sealed their reconciliation and the agreement they had reached a few minutes before.

Gibbs felt the blood pound in his ears as he rediscovered his mate's taste, his tongue plunging deeply into Tony's mouth as his hands cupped the younger man's nape, preventing him from escaping his assault.

Not that Tony wanted to escape, since his own hands were buried in Gibbs' hair, pulling him closer.

When the need to breath caused them to part, Gibbs stood up and rasped, "Clothes. Off."

Tony scrambled to obey, neither of them bothering with the fact they were undressing in front of the living room big window.

Once he was naked, Gibbs lost no time to approach his mate again. As Tony struggled to get rid of his pants, the vampire opened his shirt and pushed the white fabric down his tanned shoulders, baring his mate's chest to his greedy mouth.

"Jethro..." Tony cried out, almost tripping into his lowered pants. "Give me a moment..."

"I can't...Want you too badly..." Gibbs answered, still mapping his mate's chest with his lips, teeth and fangs, losing himself in the taste of the skin a part of him had been afraid he would never taste again.

"Then help me..."

Gibbs growled, impatient and used his hands to turn Tony and then push him down, until he was half-sitting, half-reclining on the couch. Then he proceeded to divest his mate from his troublesome pants, throwing them away along with his briefs, socks and shoes.

Once Tony was naked, Gibbs knelt on the floor, between his spread legs.

"I can't wait..." he groaned apologetically as he spit on his fingers and used the saliva to slicken Tony's hole.

"Then don't..." his mate whispered, using his own hands to grab the back of his legs and pull them up against his chest.

Gibbs tried not to rush as he prepared and stretched Tony. Saliva wasn't best of lube and he didn't want to hurt him.

"Jethro...stop..." Tony groaned after a while. "'m ready."

Gibbs was only too willing to obey. He stood up, leant with his knees against the couch and spit again in his hand, using his saliva and the pre-come leaking from the tip to slicken his cock. Then he bent forward and grabbed the back of the couch with his left hand for balance, as he used his right, still sore arm to guide himself to Tony's opening.

The young man tried to buck as he felt insistent prod of Gibbs' cock against his hole, and it made the vampire groan.

"God, Tony," he murmured raggedly, "what you do to me-" and then Gibbs pushed forward, his cock sliding in, a long, slow thrust, right to the hilt.

Tony moaned aloud, throwing his head back against the couch.

"You all right?" Gibbs asked, looking down at his mate's taut expression.

"Yes…just… God, _move, _Jethro…Now."

Gibbs chuckled, "Begging me already?"

"Demanding!" Tony retorted, squeezing his inner muscles to spur the vampire to thrust.

Gibbs growled and shuddered as the silky, warmth channel got tighter around him. "Don't think… there will be time for slow. Not… not tonight."

"Don't care," Tony replied, his voice dying in a strangled cry when Gibbs finally started moving.

"Yes!" the vampire hissed, as he quickly increased the pace of his thrusting. He was too charged up to even try to make it last.

Skin slapped against skin, and tension built in Gibbs' body, as beneath him, Tony's cries got louder and his cock wept messily on his belly. The vampire wrapped a hand around his mate's hardness, squeezing, and Tony bucked in the hand that held him, one, two, three times before he got rigid and came.

Gibbs shuddered at the sight and thrust fiercely into Tony a couple of more times, before he turned his head and bit down on his mate's closest calf, blood spurting into his mouth just as his orgasm exploded in his body and in his mind.

The vampire lost sight of everything as he came. His knees buckled and it was also the dead tight grip he had over the back of the couch that stopped him from collapsing over Tony.

Tony… Gibbs looked down at his mate, who was resting with his eyes closed, arms spread out and no longer holding his legs. The position didn't look comfortable at all, so the vampire gathered his strength, and straightened, pulling up from the younger man's body.

"Nagh…" Tony protested as opened his eyes and lowered his legs.

"You all right?" Gibbs asked to him.

"Never better…at least now," Tony answered with a lazy, sated smile. "Tomorrow my back might decide to kill me, but right now I'm super good. And you? Your shoulder?"

"Might decide to join your back tomorrow…but this was worth it."

"Oh yes…"

Tony sat up and wrapped his arms around Gibbs' waist, burying his face against the vampire's belly. "I missed you," he whispered against the skin. "Couldn't sleep well without you near, not knowing when we would be together again."

"It was the same for me," Gibbs replied, using his left hand to caress his mate's hair.

"Let's not do it again. Ever. We may not sleep together every night, but I want to know that if it isn't tonight, it would be tomorrow…"

"Okay," the vampire agreed.

"Good."

"Although…" and Tony looked up at Gibbs with laughing eyes, "there was an upside in all of this…"

"Uh?"

"We broke your unnumbered rule, 'No sex in the living room'!"

Gibbs felt heat spread from his chest, to his neck, and to his face as he realized where he was and what he had just done. He was stark naked in his living room, where any passers-by could see him.

However, he refused to rush and cover himself as Tony had probably been expecting. Instead he reached out with his hand and offered it to his mate.

"Let's go, we'll tidy here tomorrow. "

"Okay." Tony took the offered hand, stood up, and together the two men moved toward the stairs, a much needed shower, and a good night of sleep in each other's arms.

.

OK, they have reached a sort of agreement: Gibbs won't act on his feeling until Tony gives him leave, and Tony will think if he can share Gibbs with something else. They are both putting the other's needs before their own...as for what will happen next, as usual, remember rule# 8! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the hot, make up loving!

Let me know and remember reviews make me update faster!


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to tinkerbellblu83 and Buzzy for their reviews!**

**And look..no A/N today! YAY! :)**

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**7- Mother's Day **

Finding Joann Fielding on a crime scene in Norfolk was surprising.

Interrogating her as a material witness was bizarre.

Dealing with the memories their meeting stirred was painful.

Piercing together the evidence and seeing where it was leading was shocking.

So shocking that for the first time since his last divorce had been finalized, Gibbs decided to break rule number thirteen.

Joann needed a lawyer and a good one too—and he just knew one of the best in town.

One who did pro-bono work and maybe would accept to help a fellow vampire. One who would probably jump at the idea of making Gibbs' life difficult—and on his own invitation!

One, however, Gibbs didn't dare to call before he talked with Tony and got his blessing.

Since their talk a couple of weeks before, the topic of M. Allison Hart or Gibbs' desire to make her his mate too and Tony's decision about it had never been touched again.

Gibbs was set in giving his mate all the time he needed to sort out his feelings. If Tony would never want to broach the topic again, well, the vampire would consider it a 'no' and work as hard as he could to keep his urges in check—and maybe meeting Allison about Joann's case would be a good test for his resolve.

So, at lunch break, after he had returned from Abby's lab with the confirmation Joann had lied about where she had been when Captain Joseph Norton had been shot, Gibbs barked, "DiNozzo, with me, coffee run," and marched to the elevator.

Tony rushed to join him and as soon as the doors closed and Gibbs switched off the elevator, he asked, "Something wrong, Boss?"

"Joann Fielding. Abby just showed me she lied about the dynamic off the shooting, and my gut tells me it's not her only lie."

"You think...she might have done it?" Tony suggested after a slight hesitation.

"I don't know...yet. But I know she needs a lawyer and a good one too." Gibbs stared intently into his mate's eyes and waited for the penny to drop.

It didn't take long. Tony swallowed hard and murmured, "You want to call in Miss Hart?"

"Yes. She's damn good at her job, and in spite of everything we know about her and Bell, I trust her."

"So why hadn't already you called her?" the younger man wondered.

Gibbs glared at him. "'Cause I wanted to let you know first that I'll involve her only in a professional way and that there won't be anything else between us."

Tony's eyes softened as replied, "That wasn't necessary, Jethro. You told me you wouldn't do anything before I made a decision, and I know you'll keep your word."

At the sight of his mate's gentle expression, Gibbs couldn't stop himself from asking, "And your decision? What about it?"

Tony's face sobered. "Give me time, Boss. It's not easy."

The vampire nodded in understanding and squeezed his mate's shoulder. "Take all the time you need."

Then he started the elevator again and when the door opened, he sent Tony to buy coffee for all the team as he looked for quiet corner where to make a phone call to M. Allison Hart.

**X**

The following evening, Gibbs was sitting in his living room with a box full of old photos open in front of him.

He took a couple of them out and smiled at the sight of the first one. It had been taken in front of their base house in Camp Pendleton, when Joann and Mac had travelled there for Kelly's second birthday, on Gibbs' invitation. It had been a very happy day, with none of the tears and recriminations that had poisoned their last meeting, and he still remembered Shannon's very intimate 'thank you' when everyone had gone to bed.

Then he sobered; Joann's situation had worsened. Tony and Ziva's trip to Arizona had ended up with the discovery of Martin Hendricks' corpse. The former policeman had been hired by Shannon's mother to follow Norton's movements both in US and Mexico and the way he had been killed had 'DRUG DEALERS'REVENGE' printed all over it.

Drug dealers, Mexico: three words that when put together never failed to stir painful memories of blood, tears, dirt and sweat...the sound of a single gunshot echoing in a deserted valley and an animal cry breaking the stillness of a Sunday afternoon.

That was why Gibbs was looking to those old, yellowing photos. He needed to see those smiling faces to push away the memories and confine his demons back in the corner of his mind where they had been residing for the past nineteen years.

A knock on the door returned him to the present and he called out, "It's open," fully knowing his visitor would hear him even if he spoke quite low.

M. Allison Hart entered in the house and then in the living room with her usual secure stride, but this time Gibbs was ready for her and for the wave of vampire pheromones that invested him.

"You called, Mr. Gibbs?" she began, in this time her addressing sounded more affectionate than mocking or disrespectful as in the past.

"You want a beer?" he asked, without rising from the couch.

"Yeah, if you have a slice of cold pizza to go with it," she answered simply.

"I think I can handle that," Gibbs said, rising to his feet as Allison removed her coat and sat in the place he had just vacated. He knew she would look at the photos he had left in good sight there, but he found he didn't mind. Although he had no idea of what Tony's decision would be or if there was something going up between Allison and Bell, he wanted her to know about him; wanted her to see that he had been a loving husband and a doting father.

"Crazy day at the office," Allison's voice followed him as he opened his fridge to retrieve the pizza and the beer. "Amazing how people keep suing each other even in the worst economy in years."

"Yeah? Better than them killing each other," Gibbs replied, as he picked up a chair on his way back to the living room.

"Oh, they do that, too, when they lose," she joked, as he put down the pizza and the beer on the coffee table. "Thanks." He sat down in front of her, the low table separating them.

"So what's this about?" Allison asked, as she sipped her beer. "You made it sound important."

"It is," Gibbs confirmed, and saw the interested flash in her eyes, and the way she licked her lips. Somehow he knew what he was going to tell her wasn't going to be what she was hoping to hear. "You still do pro bono work?"

"If the price is right," Allison recovered quickly from her disappointment; he had to give her what.

"Yeah," Gibbs answered, ironic. He battled a moment with himself, because what he was going to wasn't ethical, but then decided he had done far less ethical things out of his love for Shannon, so he plunged ahead. "I have someone who...might need your help."

"Who is it?" she asked with mild interest.

"My former mother-in-law."

"You're kidding?" Allison's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No." Gibbs picked the investigation file he had brought home and gave it to her. "And if anybody asks, we never talked. You okay with that?"

Allison put down the half-eaten pizza and began scanning the file. "Representing your ex-mother-in-law? 'Okay' might be the wrong description. 'Conflicted,' maybe."

Gibbs grinned at the irony in her voice and stood up. "All right. Turn out the lights when you leave."

He was already out of the room, when her next words stopped him, "This may be the worst date I've ever had."

He returned on his steps and looked at her. She was smiling, but her disappointment was clear in her eyes. He found himself hoping that one day he had her would be able to have a real date.

**XXX**

Tony was standing outside of Gibbs' house, near the large window of the living room, being careful not to be spotted as he watched his partner and Miss Hart talk. He wasn't spying on them to make sure Gibbs didn't break his word – Tony knew the older man would never do it – he just wanted to observe them interact in private, alone. He couldn't hear their voices, but could see their faces, their eyes. He could see the attraction between them…and not just that. He also saw a guarded kind affection, but affection nevertheless. And it was mutual.

It was that affection that told Tony he had to come to a decision about what to say to Gibbs…soon, because now the lives in balance were no longer two, but three. He couldn't go on procrastinating and hoping things would resolve by themselves. Nor he could leave Gibbs, and by large, Miss Hart hanging and not knowing what to do with their feelings.

Tony was brusquely recalled to the present when he saw the lawyer collect her briefcase, ready to leave. The young man sprinted to hide himself behind the corner of the house and, once she had driven away, he walked to the door and stepped inside.

Gibbs was still sitting on the couch and when their eyes met he simply said, "We were talking about Joann."

Tony froze. "How do you know I was there? I was very careful not to be seen."

"But not careful enough not to be heard…by a vampire," Gibbs smirked. "I heard the engine of your car pass by, and then, a few moments later, the gate opening and closing, but no one knocked on the door—and now you're here."

Tony grimaced, "Blasted vampire super-ears." Then he smiled, "I'll be more careful next time."

"There won't be any need for that. This evening I want you to listen, although you won't be seen or smelled," Gibbs said, with a faraway look.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, confused.

"That I gonna do something I shouldn't, and I need you to listen and understand why I'm doing it."

The younger man was puzzled and more than a little worried by his partner's cryptic words, but he didn't hesitate in giving his assent.

If Jethro needed him to listen and understand, then he would do his best to do it—and hopefully help to take away that haunted look from the older man's face.

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Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster. **Oh, before I forgot: Rule#8! Just in case you need a reminder...:)**


	13. Chapter 13

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Thanks to tinkerbellblu83, DreamCatcher and Athelhelde for their reviews. And, Athelhelde, I can see at least two more possibilities to add to your four...

**X**

After dinner, Gibbs took Tony down in the basement and made him sit behind a large box under the stairs. Then the vampire opened a fresh tin of paint stripper and put it near the younger man.

"It will mask your scent, so Miss Hart won't be able to smell you," Gibbs explained when Tony grimaced at the pungent odor.

"Okay," Tony replied, getting comfortable on the cushion Gibbs had given him. He was still completely in dark about what his partner was up to, but ready to let the action roll as the director wanted.

Tony was surprised when the woman stepping down the stairs a few minutes later turned to be Joann Fielding and not Miss Hart, but he did exactly what Gibbs had asked him to do: he listened. The understanding, hopefully, would come later.

He watched as Gibbs made his former mother-in-law sit down in front of the workbench and poured some bourbon in two jars.

"Is this your personal torture chamber?" Joann said, as she looked around her.

"The only person ever tortured down here is me," Gibbs answered and Tony nodded to himself. Working alone down there was conductive to deep thinking, and thoughts could be more painful than a knife cut or a cigarette burn.

"I know everything, Joann," Gibbs dead-serious voice recalled Tony's attention, and he strained his ears to listen better. "You knew that you couldn't get Shannon and Kelly's real killers, and so you went after Norton. Guilty by association."

Tony nodded to himself, sadly. He had seen the evidence, he seen where it was leading, and his heart went to his partner and to the old woman sitting nearby, a woman who had never recovered by the tragedy that had shattered her life, to the point of committing the unthinkable.

"That ex-cop you hired to go to Arizona to look for Norton...The Reynosa cartel, they knew he was snooping around and they killed him," Gibbs was going on with his explanation after preventing Joann from leaving. "So you found Norton...you did, and you charmed him and...You killed one man, you framed another, and you... planned it all like a pro. Really, are you that smart?"

"I'm just a mother who lost everything she loved," she answered softly, and Tony could hear the pain in her tone, still there after nineteen years, just as it was there when Jethro talked about Shannon and Kelly…Just like now.

"Shannon and Kelly...Norton didn't kill 'em. But I know who did," Gibbs said.

_And I have already dealt with him,_ Tony completed, finally understanding why his partner had wanted him to listen.

"How'd it feel, hmm? Satisfying?" Gibbs pressed, and Tony knew with absolute certainly the vampire hadn't felt any satisfaction when he had done what he had done. And how it could be? Leroy Jethro Gibbs had a very strong sense of justice. Sometimes he might be too biblical when he applied it, just as Michelle Lee had once said, but he was always fair. Tony was ready to bet that even if Gibbs never felt remorse for what he did to Shannon and Kelly's killer, he must have had regretted that there hadn't be another way to deal with him.

"Oh, Jethro," Joann whispered, as she pulled Gibbs into her arms, she too understanding what he hadn't said. "The night that he proposed, he was holding me in his arms. I whispered our girls' names in his ear. Then I pulled the trigger one, two, three times...and I watched him die."

Tony closed his eyes as he listened to the pain filled confession, but opened them again as the elderly woman added, "Nobody ever need know. You and I both did what we did...For them."

The young man watched as Gibbs stood up and helped Joann to do the same, then his mouth opened in surprise when his boss took out his cuffs and said, "You're under arrest for the murder of Captain Joseph Norton, for tampering with evidence, for interfering with a criminal investigation-"

Gibbs was still talking when the stair over Tony's head creaked and M. Allison Hart's voice filled the basement. "Mr. Gibbs, you just arrested my client illegally and unlawfully. You interrogated her without proper citation of her Miranda rights, and you coerced a confession. If you don't release her right away, I will pursue legal action."

As soon as the lawyer finished talking, Tony smiled, understanding at once what Gibbs had done. His presence in the basement, the talk, the confession, the cuffs, Miss Hart's untimely – or very timely – arrival… everything had been brilliantly acted, just as director Gibbs had planned.

Hidden behind the box, Tony observed the lawyer's surprised face. It looked like she couldn't believe the other vampire could have done something so stupid.

"The case will never stick, right?" Gibbs asked, and it looked like he was asking for her confirmation.

"You just made a very big mistake," Hart nodded, her expression and voice still full of incredulity- then Tony saw it…her eyes widened in understanding, as she darted them quickly between her client and Gibbs.

"Yeah," Gibbs commented, with no hint of regret in his voice, as he released Joann. "You won."

"Did I?" Miss Hart asked lightly. She knew she had been played by a pro and, at least for this time, she was happy to have been.

"Take care of yourself, Joann," Gibbs whispered.

"You, too, Jethro," she murmured back, caressing his cheek, she too now fully aware of what her former son-in-law had done for her…and for Shannon.

Tony remained still until he heard Joann and Hart leave the house, and then climbed upstairs, to the living room, where he found Gibbs standing by the fireplace, a glass of bourbon in his hand.

"Did you hear?" the vampire asked, without turning around.

"Loud and clear."

"And did you understand?"

Tony walked to stand at his partner's side and replied, "What you did this evening? Yes, I do. As I understand what you did…years ago."

Gibbs put the glass over the mantle and turned to face him, his blue eyes haunted. "And do you approve?" he asked roughly.

The younger man thought about it for a moment before answering. "The cop in me, he doesn't approve. The man in me, the one who would probably do the same thing you did if someone killed you or Jackson or my father committed the same stupid mistake of Joann, approves—and understands. And I really, really like how you played with Miss Hart; that was brilliant."

"Tony…" Gibbs reprimanded, "This isn't the time to joke."

"No, it's not, but if you're worried about my reaction upon hearing you murdered your wife and daughter's killer, well, I've to say you're a bit late, 'cause I've known you did it since the time I learned how you lost your family, four years ago."

"And you're okay with it?" his partner's asked.

"Well, aside my fear about the fact it could one day return to bite you in the ass, yes, I'm mostly okay with it. Because I know you, and I know you're a good man…knew it well before I started too really like you. And, if you will allow me to play Ducky for a moment, I'm ready to bet your relentless on the job is a way to atone for what you did. You want to catch all the bad guys because you want to avoid other people will find themselves in the position of thinking they have to take justice in their own hands. Am I right?"

"Yes," Gibbs nodded, slowly. "You're."

"Good. Now that this is settled, what do you plan to do? About Joann, I mean."

"We'll return in the office now. I'll talk with Leon and tell him everything I discovered and what happened here this evening. I'll let him decided how to proceed."

"What? You really trust him so much?" Tony exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes, I do. He's a much better man and director than I thought at first. I think he will realize why Joann acted, and that she's not a danger for anyone else."

"But someone will want to know who killed Norton!" Tony's eyes narrowed as he added, "I really hope you aren't thinking to saddle Lt. Shankton with the murder, because _that_ I would never approve!"

"Hey! Who do you think I am?" Gibbs replied, outraged. "Of course I'd never do it. The lieutenant deserves to do time for his drugs trafficking, and I guess the JAG prosecutor will find ten million dollars a good motive for a murder, but I swear it on Shannon and Kelly's memory, Shankton won't be convicted for it. I'll make sure of it when I testify. Captain Norton was killed by someone else, a common criminal who will, unfortunately, remain nameless, and by the time my testimony will be over, everyone in that court will be convinced of it."

Tony nodded in approval. "Good plan."

Gibbs smirked and then, after gulping the last of his bourbon said, "Let's do it, then," and moved toward the door, closely followed by the younger man.

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OK, this is how I've always interpreted that look between Vance and Gibbs at the end of the episode, and Gibbs' words about Lt. Shankton needing to do prison time . Gibbs may have killed Hernandez, but he did it out of a sense of 'justice' (call it biblical justice), in the same way he had that street gang guy killed by his own mates in earlier in the series.

Not a behaviour I approve or justify, but one I can understand. However, I will never believe Gibbs would saddle an innocent man with murder, and so I found this explanation for that look and what Gibbs said in front of the team, which I chose to believe was only the 'official' version.

Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83 and DreamCatcher for their reviews. :)**

**8- Obsession **

"What are you up to?" Gibbs asked to his mate as they were travelling toward the Monroe University Hospital on the sedan, as McGee and Ziva followed with the truck.

"What do you mean, Boss?" Tony replied, his tone genuinely puzzled.

"I heard what McGee and Ziva were saying in the office. Do you care to explain why this Brenda Whatever is writing in her blog she's in a committed relationship with you? Why did you tell them you were with her last night, when we were together in your apartment? Are you pulling a prank on them?"

"Nope, Boss. No prank, just some diversion tactic."

Gibbs frowned. "Explain."

"Well, a couple of days ago, I overheard Ziva and McGee discuss the fact I've stopped bragging about the women I date and they began wondering why. Ziva, our ever sweet crazy ninja, suggested I might have a problem." Tony snorted, outraged by the idea. "McGee instead suggested that maybe I found someone and I was keeping it hush-hush. So, to avoid they might decide to 'investigate' and see things they shouldn't see, I decided to side track them."

"And Brenda? How it works with her?"

"She's a friend who doesn't want her conservative parents know she plays for the other team. I guess I'll end up breaking her heart and she'll have an excuse not to date other men for a while."

"You kill two birds with a bullet," Gibbs nodded in approval. "Good idea; that should keep Ziva and McGee busy for a while."

"Yeah, busying teasing me," Tony grumbled. "Brenda was a bit heavy handed on Facebook. No one knowing me – well, excluding _you_ - would believe I'm in a committed relationship! I'll need to tell her to tone it down—or I'll need to come up with a different kind of diversion."

"I trust your judgment," Gibbs commented, as he pulled up in the Monroe University Hospital parking.

**X**

When Vance summoned him to his office, Gibbs thought Leon might want an update on Lieutenant Hutton's case. The victim's sister was a famous ZNN reporter, and maybe the director was concerned about the hell she might rise if they didn't resolved the case ASAP. However, it turned out the summons had nothing to do with Hutton's death.

Instead it was about NCIS offering collaboration to the Mexican government in their battle against the drug cartels. Inwardly Gibbs thought DEA would be more suitable for the task, but it was fine for him to share technique and intelligence with Alejandro Rivera, the Mexican Justice Department representative, as long as it didn't hinder his job.

Gibbs' good will almost flew out of the window when Vance told his secretary to send someone in and that someone was M. Allison Hart.

"Hello, gentlemen, I'm sorry I'm late," she said as she entered in the room wearing a dress that left too bare flesh visible, at least for Gibbs' taste.

"Hello, Mr. Gibbs."

_Oh really? Guess you don't consider me a gentleman, since you greeted me separately_, Gibbs thought, looking at her with an amused smile.

"The State Department has appointed Ms. Hart to be Alejandro's legal counsel for the task force," Vance explained the lawyer's presence.

"Of course they did," Gibbs all but snorted, wondering what strings Miss had to pull to be 'chosen' for the task.

"I met Allison in Mexico City," Rivera interjected. "We work well together."

"Alejandro was very helpful in my securing Colonel Bell's release from prison," Hart said, looking at Gibbs with a smug smile.

"Maybe we shouldn't be cooperating, Leon," Gibbs said to Vance, his tone full of humor, even if his willingness to help Rivera had gone down of about two notches.

"Mr. Gibbs has a strange sense of humor," Hart explained to the Mexican representative who was looking at the two federal agents with an almost worried look.

It was then that Gibbs noticed something strange in the female vampire's pass. It wasn't a normal 'visitor' one.

She noticed the direction of his gaze and commented with another smug smile, "Oh, I'll be spending a lot of time on the project. Director Vance kindly extended me temporary employee status."

_Great,_ Gibbs thought as he made no effort to mask how displeased he was. _Now I'll have her around and sticking her nose everywhere with no need of supervision. Just what I need while working on a case that has not yet offered a good lead. I bet this is her and Leon's revenge for how I resolved Joann's situation. _He sighed._ The next days are gonna be very long._

**X**

The following night Gibbs was working in his basement. It was very late, but he didn't feel like going to bed. His mind was fully active mulling over things, and there was no way he could sleep if he didn't manage to settle his thoughts first.

His musings revolved mostly around Tony and his strange behavior concerning Dana Hutton, whom they still had to locate.

When Tony had startled rambling about her on the crime scene and had all but begged him to let him go to interview her, Gibbs had thought his mate was working on another 'diversion' for Ziva and McGee's benefit.

However, it soon looked like Tony was being as heavy handed as his friend Brenda had been in how he showed his interest in the ZNN reporter— and Gibbs didn't like the idea McGee and Ziva might consider Tony promiscuous at best, or a slut at worst.

As time passed it became clear Tony's interest in Dana Hutton wasn't faked or exaggerated on purpose. His mate was really taken by the woman, and his desire to find her was only partly motivated by their current case.

The last time he had seen his mate, Tony had been engrossed in watching one of Dana Hutton's reportage, with an almost rapt expression on his face.

However, given Gibbs' feelings for a certain lawyer, he hadn't felt in the position to tell Tony to stop with his obsession, so he had simply told him not stay up too long before wishing him good night.

As for his own obsession, M. Allison Hart and her _amigo_ Rivera had been sticking their noses all around the HQ in the past two days, but as far as he knew, the Mexican had just managed to charm Abby and make McGee jealous…nothing new in that. Every time one of them got interested in someone, the other got jealous.

The noise caused by someone in high heels walking on the floorboards over his head made Gibbs frown. _Speaking of the devil…_, he though. _I wonder if her suits are Prada's_. The vampire grinned to himself; Tony would be proud to know he had made a movie reference.

"It is 1:00 in the morning," Allison said, as she walked down the stairs and walked closer to the workbench. "What are you doing down here?"

"That's none of your business," he answered, not in the mood for games. What was she doing there at that hour, by the way? Did she just drive by, saw the lights still on and decided to stop? He wondered as her scent reached him, making him grit his teeth. She was close, too close, yet he didn't move away, perversely enjoying the torment her mere presence caused to his senses.

"I thought you were going to start locking your front door," she commented, as she sat over one of his sawhorses.

"Well, if I did that, I'd have no social life." Not that it would really bother him. Of the two persons he really wanted in his life out of the office, one had the keys, while the other, well, she had no qualms in entering his house uninvited. "What are you doing here, M. Allison Hart?" he asked.

"You didn't seem happy with my new status at NCIS."

He laughed softly, "Oh, and I thought I covered that so well."

"Are we going to have a problem?" she wondered, trying to catch his eyes as he worked.

"It came from the top," he replied, shaking his shoulders. "I take orders."

"Since when?" Allison asked with a smile, and despite of everything, Gibbs found himself answering to her teasing tone.

"You know what? I need to finish this," he indicated the blade he was working on. "You never know when I may need to saw a lady in half," he completed seriously, but he knew she understood it was a joke.

A moment of silence, then the tenor of the conversation changed, as teasing and humor left room to seriousness.

"I heard you were looking for Dana Hutton," Allison said, out of the blue.

"Is that why you're here?" Gibbs replied, surprised by her opening.

"No."

"Oh, come on," he pressed, removing the protective glasses he had been wearing. "You knew she was investigating private military contracts like the one owned by your biggest client, Colonel Bell."

Allison almost bristled, "Oh, don't go there, Mr. Gibbs."

"He's the one who pays for your $500 shoes," Gibbs retorted, looking down at her beautiful shoes – and legs.

"I take offense. They cost 1,200. And I asked because Dana is a friend."

"How close?" Gibbs asked his interest stirred in spite of himself.

"Close," Allison answered, and he could hear the sincerity in her voice. She was genuinely concerned for her friend.

"When is the last time you saw her?"

"A week ago. She wanted to talk. She had just broken up with her producer boyfriend." Gibbs eyes narrowed upon hearing it, he was pretty sure the producer hadn't mentioned that when Tony and Ziva had gone to talk with him.

"And if you want any more out of me, you're going to have to ply me with liquor," Allison added, her voice returning to be teasing.

"As long as you don't ask for blood, I think can manage something," Gibbs replied with the same light tone.

He stood up but when he moved to pick the bottle of bourbon, Allison wrapped her slender fingers around his wrist and stopped him. Gibbs lowered his head to look at her with a puzzled expression and she looked up at him, her eyes extraordinary luminous.

"I'd let you drink from me," she whispered. "You know that, don't you?"

Gibbs nodded, his head spinning with the amount of arousal he could smell coming from her. It would be so easy to bend down and take what he wanted from her…her blood, her body …everything.

He could make her his mate _right now_, and finally appease the instinct what was screaming at him to do just that— but he could not. He had made a promise to Tony, and he could not and would not break it.

So he gently freed his wrist from her grip and murmured, "I think it would be best if you go home now. You can tell me more about Dana Hutton in the morning, in the office."

And speaking so, Gibbs resolutely walked away from one of the greatest temptations of his entire life.

* * *

More to come! In the meantime, let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	15. Chapter 15

**To all my reviewers: I apologize for the lack of private replies today, but I had to run some unexpected errands for my family. I thank all of you for your kind words. I'm happy you enjoyed how I "twisted" this episode and I hope you'll enjoy the next part too!**

**XXX**

Tony couldn't explain the reasons of his interest for Dana Hutton. True, she was beautiful and smart, but so were a lot of the women he happened to meet on the job. She was also a reporter, not exactly a breed of people he usually liked, mostly because he had seen what some of them were ready to do to get a story.

Yet, somehow, even before meeting her, Tony knew Dana was different. And when she finally answered to one of his message and they met, he knew he had been right.

She showed him there are certain things one knows at once, without need to think or ponder about them, such as nine years before, when Special Agent Gibbs asked him to leave the Baltimore PD to join him at NCIS and Tony had answered 'yes' without a moment of hesitation. It had proved to be his best and most significant decision ever.

It was the same with Dana. It took just a brief conversation to understand she was the kind person Tony would be honored to call friend.

It was why the discovery Dana, having been poisoned with ricin, was already a walking dead, was such a terrible blow for him. It made him mourn the waste of such a brilliant person, one of those rare people able to enrich the life of those lucky enough to have known them, even if only for a little while

**X**

It was late Friday night when Tony entered Gibbs' house for the first time since they had picked the Hutton's case. During the past days, he had been taken by his need to find Dana Hutton first, and then by his desire to be at her side as the toxin in her blood killed her.

In all that time, Gibbs hadn't said anything, not even reprimanding him for his manhandling of Dana's former boyfriend, whose lawyer, Tony knew, had protested with Vance for his client's mistreatment.

His partner had said nothing about Tony's absence from his bed or the lack of contact after work. He had just sent his support through their mental connection, letting the younger man know he was there if Tony needed him.

Tonight Tony needed Gibbs, more than ever.

He walked down the stairs of the basement, where his boss and partner was doing some of that wood working that soothed him as much as watching old movies soothed Tony.

The young man loved the basement; the place was full of memories. Some bad, such as how empty it had been when Gibbs had wanted to sell the house to move permanently in Mexico. Some good, such as the first time Tony had been invited there and his boss had taught him how to sand the boat. Some wonderful, such as the evening Gibbs had confessed his love for him.

Tony crossed the room and walked to the work bench, picking up a sort of hook as Gibbs eyed him while he continued his work.

"How'd it go?" his partner asked softly, fully knowing where Tony had been.

"Well...She went peacefully," he answered, posing the hook and sitting down.

"You okay?"

"Not really," Tony replied as he saw Gibbs pouring them some bourbon. "I broke rule number 10- again. Never get personally involved on a case." He took the offered liquor and sipped it, looking in front of him and trying not to think of Dana's pale face.

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed as he stared into his mug as if it held all the answers to the mysteries of the universe. "That's the rule I've always had the most trouble with."

Tony had no problem in believing it. Gibbs looked as inflexible and impassible as a stone and as unreadable as a blank screen when he wanted, but the young man knew, more than any other, how deep his emotions were.

Tony gulped down the rest of his bourbon, and then sighed. "I really liked her, Boss. She was a woman I could have loved if I didn't love you."

"I know," Gibbs commented, taking the empty jar from his unresisting fingers, "and contrary to what Ziva said, a woman like that would find plenty to like in you."

"Trying to cheer me up, Jethro?" Tony said with a small smile.

"Nope, just stating the truth." Gibbs raised a hand to caress the younger man's cheek. "Your mask, the one you wear to protect yourself from being hurt, is almost too good. People seldom see the real you. But as I have seen the real you right from the start, so did Dana Hutton."

Tony grinned, and turned his head to kiss Gibbs' palm. "I too see the real you, the kind, sensitive guy you hide behind your 'second-B-for-bastard' mask, although I've to admit it took me a long time to see it. I'm not all knowing as you are."

Gibbs laughed softly and reached out with his hand. "Let's go upstairs," he murmured. "I'm done for tonight."

Tony looked at him straight in the eyes, picked the offered hand, but didn't move when Gibbs tried to pull him to his feet.

"What?" his partner asked surprised.

"I've decided we aren't done here."

"No?"

"No. I've just realized we have had sex in a lot of places, even in the living room, but not here. So, well, I would like to change that."

Gibbs stepped closer and after freeing his fingers from Tony's hold, raised both his hands to cup the younger man's jaws and tilt his head up. "You really sure you want that? It has been a couple of hard days."

"Yes, I am. I want you," Tony answered, raising both his arms to cover Gibbs' hands with his own.

"Okay," the vampire answered, bending his head to kiss the younger man's forehead. He then straightened and looked around the basement.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked.

"Looking for a place where we won't get scraped knees or a splinter in the ass."

Tony snorted. "What about this?" he replied, patting the sturdy workbench. "I think it should do."

Gibbs' eyes brightened. "Yeah, it'll do."

Tony stood up and moved closer to his partner, surrounding his shoulder with an arm as he pulled the older man in for a kiss. He gently nibbled at Gibbs' lips, and they opened at once to admit his tongue.

Tingles went through him at the familiar taste of his partner: coffee, bourbon and an unidentified flavor that was exclusively Gibbs'.

The older man responded to his kiss, following Tony's tongue in his mouth and exploring it in return, with moves that were familiar yet always new.

When they parted due to the lack of air, they grinned at each other and began to disrobe, taking care to put the clothes on the nearby sawhorse and to keep their socks on, just for this time.

Gibbs backed Tony until the younger man's buttocks were pressed against the workbench.

"Hop up," he commanded, and Tony did so, sitting on the edge and spreading his legs, so that the older man could step closer.

Their hands started roaming over each other's body. Tony traced his fingers over Gibbs' chest and sides, exploring all those places he knew made his partner groan in pleasure. The vampire, in return, ran his calloused hands over his back, as his tongue dipped again between Tony's lips, tasting deeply of his mouth.

The younger moaned against his partner's as Gibbs' tongue left his mouth to leave a damp path along his neck and shoulder, and bucked, pressing his hips more firmly against the older man, moaning again at the pressure against his erection.

"Oh," Tony breathed, his hands going to tangle in Gibbs' hair, the short, soft strands wrapping around his fingers. "Want you..."

"You've got me," was the quiet answer, as the talented mouth continued nibbling at his upper chest, the sensation of Gibbs' extended fangs raking his over-sensitized skin, exquisite.

Tony shifted his position on the bench as his legs wrapped around Gibbs' thighs, pulling him as closer as possible. His hand then slipped between them and circled both of their erections.

"Tony..." the vampire growled as he bucked in response to the touch.

The younger man just smiled wickedly, as he used his other hand to cup and gently pull at his partner's balls.

Gibbs' growl was louder, as it was his instinctive thrust against Tony. His arms rose to wrap around the younger man, pulling his chest and belly as closer as possible, and then he began to rock his hips.

Tony responded by stroking their erections in time with Gibbs' rocking, both actions causing the right amount of friction on their cocks.

Fire ran along the younger man's nerves as both he and his partner's movements sped up.

Soon Tony threw his head back, gasping for air, as Gibbs' hurried breath and groans fanned the damp skin of his neck. His hand moved faster and between their tightly pressed bellies, the slick pre-come and sweat easing his way, until with a final stroke, Tony felt his felt his cock swell even more, before it spurted his seed.

He cried out as white-hot pleasure coursed along his nerves, barely aware of Gibbs' cock pulsing in release between his now lax fingers, or of the slight stinging pain when the vampire bit his neck.

They slumped against each other and stayed there, hugging loosely, until they recovered their wits. Then they separated, both of the grimacing slightly at the sticky mess on their bellies.

Gibbs picked a rag that was a bit cleaner the others and gently rubbed them down. "This will do for now," he grumbled as he retrieved his boxers and t-shirt. "I'm not gonna cross the living room naked, no matter what we did there that other time."

Tony laughed softly and jumped down the workbench. He put on his briefs and then wrapped his arms around Gibbs, kissing the older man languidly.

"That was great," he whispered against his partner's lips. "And see? No scraped knees or splinters in the ass."

Gibbs snorted and stepped back from the embrace. "That your way to say we should do it again?" he asked.

"Yeah...but not tonight. Besides, I've just realized we still have to do it in your backyard...so, I guess that should come before a repeat performance down here," Tony said lightly as he moved toward the stairs, followed by his amused partner.

He really felt much better than he had when he had first stepped down in the basement. The sadness for Dana's death was still there, but more muted. Tony knew that he would mourn her and the friendship what could have been for a long time, but now, basking in the love he and Jethro had just made, he felt at peace.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked the "angle" I used to explain Tony's obsession for Dana in this AU. Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83 for the review! :) **

**9-Borderland **

Gibbs hadn't been worried when Vance had informed him Abby had been invited by Alejandro Rivera to attend and speak at some kind of law enforcement symposium in Benito Juarez, Mexico.

He had been annoyed to lose her trusted forensic expertise for his current case, but not worried, because Abby would be housed in the Justice Department' guest quarters and McGee would escort her for the trip.

He had even had a bit of fun at her expense as he watched her fret and worry about the reason Vance wanted to see her. And finally, when all had been revealed and an excited Abby had dropped by his desk to give him the news, Gibbs had wished her a good trip with a smile and a kiss on her cheek.

His smile had broadened when, a couple of days later, he was informed by Vance Abby had returned from her Mexican sojourn with a most unusual souvenir: a recently dug-up body, a cold case she hoped to solve for the Mexican police.

Gibbs had chuckled to himself upon hearing it and decided he would have some fun at Abby after he visited Ducky to see if there was some news about their current case.

But his entire good mood had disappeared when Jimmy Palmer read aloud the name of the body Abby had brought from Mexico and whose head Ducky was currently prodding: Pedro Hernandez.

_That _Pedro Hernandez, the man that had killed Shannon and Kelly and that Gibbs had killed as soon as he had been able to walk without his crutches.

A rush of memories invested Gibbs, and he was pulled back in the past, miles away from the autopsy room where Ducky was calmly telling him he thought Collins wasn't a serial killer.

The vampire remembered the seemingly never-ending journey to Mexico, with his rifle concealed beneath the backseat of his car. He remembered how difficult had been to keep his mind focused on his task, for, had he let his thoughts wander on other things, he would have probably lost his control and crashed the car somewhere. He remembered how he had imagined catching Hernandez alone and ripping his throat apart with his fangs, before he had remembered the promise he had made to his mother so many years before, to never kill a human as a vampire. He remembered lying belly down atop of a ridge under the beating sun, scanning the landscape with the scope of his rifle, looking for Hernandez. He remembered his restlessness as the days passed with no sign of his target, knowing his medical leave was almost ended and he would need to leave soon if he wanted to report in time back to Camp Pendleton.

And then, finally, Hernandez had appeared and got into his truck. Gibbs had taken aim and pulled the trigger.

It had been a Sunday afternoon and there hadn't been anyone around to hear the shot, the noise caused by the truck crashing against a low rock or the scream torn from Gibbs lips.

He had cried out his pain, anguish, desperation and loneliness to the sky, until he had no more strength and his throat had been so sore even swallowing had been a torture. Then, he had slowly crawled back to his car and began his journey home—feeling even emptier than before, because he no longer had his desire of revenge to help him to carry on.

Gibbs had reported to Camp Pendleton and somehow managed to keep himself together enough to be judged fit for a black op in Columbia. He had done his job there, but ended up being severely wounded another time. Without blood to drink, he had risked dying in that jungle, but a local woman had found him and tended to his wounds.

It had been while he had been between life and death that Gibbs had realized what he had done in Mexico hadn't really helped to make him feel better. It had just made him a criminal. Killing Pedro Hernandez had been right and yet completely wrong, but it was too late to do anything about it.

Upon returning to Camp Pendleton, he had resigned from the Corps, but not before Lieutenant Lara Macy had investigated him about Pedro Hernandez's murder. Apparently the news had arrived to the MP command and they had tried to connect it to him.

Once the investigation had been closed, Gibbs had left the Marines, but not Camp Pendleton. He had gone to Mike Franks and asked him for a job.

Many people would probably think he had no right to become a federal agent, since he was a criminal himself, and probably they would be right.

Gibbs didn't regret killing Pedro Hernandez. He regretted having been put in the position of feeling he had to do it. It wouldn't have happened if justice had worked better. Thus, as he swore as NIS agent, he also promised to himself that from that moment on, he would do his best to prevent another Marine or another Sailor from ever feeling as if he or she had to take justice into their hands.

"Ha-ha, I think I have it," Ducky's voice brought Gibbs back to the present and he looked, with a mixture of horror and fascination as the ME pulled out a bullet from Hernandez's cranium.

"Jethro, if, uh, you would be so kind?" Ducky gestured to a nearby specimen jar and Gibbs took it and handed it to the doctor.

As the bullet fell inside the jar, the vampire realized that if Abby examined it, she wouldn't have any problem in matching it to his sniper rifle and that would mean the end of his career, at best, or prison, at worse.

He had just a few minutes to act if he didn't want to see his life destroyed by Pedro Hernandez yet again—thus he did it.

With just a flick of his fingers, Gibbs sent the circuits of the Autopsy doors in overload, locking them close. Then he focused himself as he looked straight at the other men. This was the first time he tried to use his power of persuasion on two people at the same time, but he was confident he could do it. He had already worked on Ducky, and Palmer was quite impressionable.

"Ducky, Jimmy," Gibbs said softly but with intent. "There was no bullet inside the skull."

"There was no bullet inside the skull," the two men repeated, their faces expressionless as their voices.

"Ducky, can you make it look like the bullet passed through and through the skull?"

"Yes, I can. I can easily replicate an exit wound," his friend replied, his blank eyes fixed in front of him.

"Would it fool you?" Gibbs asked.

A slight smile appeared on Ducky's otherwise impassible face.

"Yes."

"Do it," Gibbs commanded and watched as the ME set to work on the skull.

The vampire then turned his attention to Palmer and ordered, "Give me all the documentation you've filled on this corpse since the examination started: reports, notes, x-rays, everything."

Palmer obeyed, moving like a zombie in one of Tony's movies. He collected sheets of papers from the desk and the x-rays from the lightened panel, and passed them to Gibbs. The vampire lost no time, using a pair of scissors to reduce everything into smaller pieces he could easily hide beneath his polo.

When he was done, he saw Ducky was standing by the slab, arms down by his sides.

"Are you done, Duck? Is everything good?"

"Yes. There is now a perfect exit wound."

"Good," Gibbs approved, as he put the bullet inside the inner pocket of his jacket. "Ducky, Jimmy. You still have to start the examination of this body. So far, you have been too busy with all those severed feet. Now I'll leave, and on my return, I'll find you busy working."

"Yes," the two men answered in unison.

With a final look at them, to make sure they were completely conditioned, Gibbs left the Autopsy room, after opening the doors using the emergency control to restore the power.

He stayed out of the room for about five minutes, and then walked inside again.

He found Ducky and Palmer exactly how he had found them when he had walked in twenty minutes before, with the older ME prodding at the wound in Hernandez's head as Palmer waited nearby, ready to take notes.

"Wanted to see me, Duck?" he began, using the same lines as before. "I do hope that's not another victim I haven't heard about."

"A victim, yes, but not our case. I'm helping Abby with one of hers. It's a cold case from her Mexican symposium," Ducky answered, he too using the words he had used the first time.

Gibbs listened as the ME went on talking about how well-preserved 'Pedro' was for a 20-year-old corpse, and Jimmy confirmed the dead man's named was indeed Pedro Hernandez, and had been gunned down by a sniper.

"Abby thinks she might be able to trace the bullet, but-"

"I'm afraid our Abigail will be disappointed, Mr. Palmer," Ducky interrupted his assistant, "because I cannot find any bullet and there is an exit wound on the other side of the skull."

Gibbs took a deep breath and relaxed his clenched fists.

"I think the X-rays will confirm there is no bullet here, Jethro. We had yet not time to take them, due to the amount of work our feet-severing Marine has provided us with."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, and speaking of it, I've finished my psychological profile of our dead serial killer. Although, I personally do not believe he was a serial killer." Ducky stood up and removed his gloves, and Gibbs relaxed as the good doctor repeated the same observation as before.

"Don't get me wrong, Jethro. I don't doubt that Corporal Collins committed those murders, but he shows none of the psychopathology that normally motivates a serial killer."

"Yeah, what motivated him?" Gibbs asked, 'cause it pretty much expected from him to ask question, even when he already knew what answer he would get.

"I don't know, and until we know that, we know nothing."

"Okay, Duck, thank for letting me know," Gibbs commented as he turned his heels to leave room.

"You are welcome, Jethro. I just hope the information will somehow help you," the vampire heard just before the doors closed after him.

Once outside Autopsy, Gibbs took a moment to collect himself, before he went up to Abby's lab.

He needed to know why, of all the Mexican cold cases, she was investigating Pedro Hernandez' murder. Gibbs didn't believe in coincidences, and even if he did, it would be really too much to accept that cold case had been brought to her attention by chance.

When he arrived in the lab, Abby whirled on her feet as she heard him.

"Gibbs," she greeted him, her voice as strange as the look she threw at him.

As Abby, McGee and Gibbs discussed the new developments of the Collins' case, she kept on throwing strange looks in the vampire's direction, which he sustained without blinking an eye or letting something show on his face.

Gibbs had realized at once Abby knew who Hernandez had been and what he had done. He had also realized she suspected him for his murder, and that felt like someone had just kicked him in the stomach.

Despite her dark clothes, tattoos, chains and the like, Abby was a pure soul. She had managed to retain her innocence even when confronted with gruesome crimes almost on daily basis. Gibbs knew that – as unbefitting as he was of it – Abby had put him on a pedestal. He was her protector, her knight in shining armor—and knights didn't go around murdering people. But Gibbs wasn't perfect, he committed mistakes, some more serious than others, and Abby was about to realize it too. It would be like telling a kid Santa Claus didn't exist, and he ached for the disappointment and upset it would case – was already causing – to her.

**X**

Later that evening Gibbs was in his basement, working on an old chair one of his neighbors had brought to him in the hope he could repair it, when he heard someone step on the stairs.

_Abby,_ he thought as he smelled her gunpowder perfume. He had been expecting her from the moment he had returned home, after deviating from his usual route to reach an abandoned factory, where he had destroyed both the bullet and the x-rays he had taken in the Autopsy. He wasn't proud of what he had done that day, but his survival instinct had taken over, and he felt better now that the only real proof against him no longer existed.

"Hi, Gibbs," Abby said as she slowly stepped down the stairs.

"Hey, Abbs," he greeted her, his heart twisting when he saw her pale, haunted face.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah. You're already in," he commented with a smile, even if smiling was the last thing he felt like doing. Abby had never been so awkward or hesitant around him, and he could guess all too well why she was feeling so.

"Right," Abby stepped down in the basement, put her purse in a corner, paced for a half minute and then said, "Okay. It was nice talking to you," and moved to walk away.

"Abbs..." Gibbs said, preventing her from leaving. "Why are you here?"

"You know why I'm here. There was no bullet in Pedro Hernandez' head, but my gut tells me that had I had the chance to examine it…I would have matched it to your sniper rifle."

"How can you say that?" Gibbs asked as he went on with his work.

"I saw the NIS report about him. I know why he was a wanted man. I know what he did. He killed your wife and daughter. I know you were on leave when he was killed. I know he wasn't shot at close range but by a sniper— who left behind a Lapua 338." Abby swallowed hard and began to pace again as she continued. "Not enough for a conviction, I agree, but enough to force you to retire, if by chance you fail the test with the polygraph."

"I know," Gibbs murmured, as he wondered how Abby had come in possess of the brass he had left on the ridge as signature. Had the Mexican police found it?

Abby stepped closer and looked at him with her big, trusting eyes, "Tell me that I'm wrong. Tell me there is nothing true in my theory."

It would have been so easy to lie and maybe even persuade her to forget the idea ever crossed her mind, but he couldn't. First of all, he didn't like to lie to his friends, secondly he was sure someone was behind this whole mess and he wanted Abby to be aware of it.

So Gibbs shook his head, regretfully, and said, "No. No, I can't say that."

"So it's true…you killed him. In cold blood." Abby looked at him with wild eyes for a moment, and then resumed her pacing. "I mean, I know what he did, Gibbs. He... He killed your wife and your daughter. But, Gibbs ...Gibbs doesn't do things like that. Or-Or-Or does he?" She stopped and looked at him, once again begging him with her gaze to tell her she was wrong.

This time the vampire remained silent, because, really, there wasn't anything to say.

"Now I don't know," Abby resumed. "I don't know anything. The only thing that I do know is that I didn't find this out by accident."

Gibbs nodded to himself, not surprised she too had reached his same conclusion.

"Rule forty," he simply stated, as he continued to work on the chair.

"'If it seems like someone is out to get you, they are'," Abby quoted, the only person beside Tony to know all the rules. She walked closer again and looked him. "Just...You have no idea how much I wished it was yesterday. Maybe if I could just close my eyes and open them again, it will be."

Gibbs watched with a sad smile as Abby closed her eyes and crossed the fingers of both hands, but of course nothing happened. It was still today and Abby still knew Gibbs had killed a man out of revenge, not justice.

"Do you realize the situation that I'm in now? Anyone with a bit of brain will be able to come to my same conclusions if I write down Hernandez was killed by a sniper and they dig a little deeper and discover you were a sniper."

"I know…but it doesn't matter. As you said, it's just circumstantial. It would be different if you had a bullet to match…but there isn't," Gibbs tried to soothe her.

"Yeah, thank God, there is no bullet," Abby took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. "So we are okay? Even if something happens because of my report? You- Gibbs, please tell that no matter what comes from this, you'll love me…I need to know that…"

Gibbs let go of the chair and stepped forward, nodding and pulling Abby in a strong hug.

He buried his nose in her dark hair as he thought, _I love you Abby, beyond the 'no matter what'. Beyond the fact you believed me able to coerce Tony to let me drink from him against his will. I love you and I hope you'll love me even now that you know I'm not the man you thought me to be._

* * *

So, being a vampire is really useful, uh? This story was written in June 2010, long before Season 8 premiere, thus, not knowing how the writers were going to solve the Mexican mess, I decided to go in a different direction.

More to come! In the meantime, let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks to DreamCatcher and tinkerbellblu83 for the reviews!**

**10- Patriot Down**

Gibbs had gone to work far more relaxed than he had thought he would be.

He had spent half of the night trying to figure out who was behind this whole mess with Pedro Hernandez's case being resurrected and ending up on Abby's table.

There was little doubt someone had wanted it to happen. Someone knowing the connection between Gibbs and Pedro Hernandez and between Gibbs and Abby. Someone counting on Abby's forensic expertise to tie the crime to Gibbs and who would have seen their wishes realized if the vampire hadn't been in Autopsy at the right time.

But who was this someone?

Around 0300 Gibbs had decided he wasn't going anywhere and that perhaps sleep would help him. So he had decided to go to bed, but not at his place. After the shocks of the previous day, he needed his mate's comfort.

Without thinking twice, he had driven to Tony's apartment. He had the keys and he had managed to slip inside – the apartment, the bedroom, and the bed – without waking the younger man. Gibbs had then pulled the warm, sleeping body into his arms, and finally relaxed enough to join his mate in slumber.

When morning arrived, Tony had been pleasantly surprised to find the vampire in his bed, and quite happy when at his question, "Any special reason you're here, Boss?" Gibbs had answered with, "A _very_ special reason: you."

After that, they had had a quick but very satisfying session in the shower, and by the time they had been ready for work, Gibbs had been fully focused on finding answers to his questions.

He knew Abby would be happy to help him because, at least for now, the vampire didn't wish to involve Tony. Maybe, if Gibbs found a lead, he would discuss it with his mate over dinner, but for the moment he preferred to keep everything to himself.

However Gibbs' newfound calm had lasted only the time needed to discover the burnt body found near the Annapolis Naval Academy grounds was Lara Macy's, and his gut had started churning in dread.

As much as in that moment he found himself wishing coincidences did exist, Gibbs knew the chances Macy's murder was one of them, were about nil.

The very MP Lieutenant that had investigated Gibbs about Pedro Hernandez's murder in 1991, showing up dead the day after Hernandez's body had landed on Ducky's slab? No one, not even the most optimistic person would believe this was just a coincidence.

The chances the two facts were related increased even more when a trip to a Maryland farm to talk with Macy's mother, revealed an unknown man who had claimed to be a NCIS agent. He had thrown upside down Macy's belongings and possibly stolen some of them personal notes she had kept during the years she had been stationed in Camp Pendleton.

However, in spite of everything, in spite of the picture the evidence was painting, Gibbs kept hoping to be wrong, just for once. He hoped to discover Macy's murder had been connected to the rape case she had been investigating in Marseilles.

Yet, his gut didn't stop churning, so to appease it Gibbs decided to alert the only other person that had know right from the start what the vampire had done in Mexico. It was better to be prudent than sorry, especially when there were lives at stake.

So he took out his phone and called the cantina near Mike Frank's house in Baja, the only way he had to contact his friend since the stubborn ass still refused to get a cell phone.

_"Buenos?"_ a female voice answered the call.

"Hello," Gibbs began, wincing at how rusty his little Spanish was. "Uh, _Habla usted ingles_?"

_"Sì . This is Camilla. Who is this?"_

"Camilla," Gibbs breathed in relief, "this is Jethro Gibbs, Mike Franks' friend."

_"Senor Gibbs! Como estas?"_

"_Bien._ Uh, I need you to get a message to Mike for me," Gibbs cut her short; he had no time for small talk.

_"I have not seen him. But when he comes in, I will make sure he-"_

"You need to get the message to him now. Right now," Gibbs urged. Since the girls had come to live with him, Mike's trips to the cantina had become less frequent and the vampire knew his friend could stay away for days.

_"Sì , senor. I will try,"_ Camilla replied.

"The message is "Rule number Forty-four". Repeat it back to me."

"Rule Forty-four," Camilla repeated, her voice puzzled. "He will know what this means?"

"Just give him the message and make sure he has Leyla and Amira with him. Just do that, okay?" Gibbs told the woman, closing his cell phone.

Feeling slightly better, the vampire took a deep breath and returned to focus on the Burrows' case. He had two suspects to interrogate and maybe, just maybe, one of them would prove not only guilty of rape, but of murder too.

**X**

Gibbs charged along the corridors like a furious bull, with people scattering away to let him pass as he checked every room he passed, looking for a certain temporary employee.

The interrogation of Randall and Tyler Hammond had been a disaster. Even if he managed to make the older man confess the rape, in that moment the vampire couldn't care less about it. All he had wanted to hear was that Hammond had killed Macy, but of course it had been only wishful thinking.

He knew who had to be behind all of this; his recent conversation with Ducky had confirmed it. As if wasn't enough, Camilla Charro had phoned back, telling him she had given Mike the message, but that the place was now full of soldiers.

"Your _amigo_ is in bad trouble", she had said and Gibbs knew who was responsible of it.

Colonel Merton Bell.

Who else could have grudge against Gibbs and Frank and the means to investigate the vampire's past and make sure Pedro Hernandez's case ended on Abby's table?

Who else had one of their people constantly popping up in Gibbs' life, trying to make it and his job more difficult?

The vampire's eyes narrowed as he finally spotted his target near a vending machine. He approached her at a slower pace and said, "Miss Hart, we've a problem of the legal kind. Can you come with me?"

"Sure," she answered, putting down her finished cup of coffee and stepping by his side. "What have you done this time, Mr. Gibbs?" she asked with a smile as they walked along the corridor.

Gibbs didn't reply, and as soon as they reached one of the conference rooms, he stepped inside with her, and slammed the door close.

"Where is he?" he asked without preamble, stepping into her personal space.

"I don't know what you' talking about," she answered, a flicker of surprise on her face.

"The hell you don't. Colonel Bell. Where is he?" Gibbs repeated, slightly louder than before

"I haven't spoken to him."

"Sure, you have. What are you doing to me, Allison?" he asked, hating the hint of hurt in his voice. He had looked at her as a potential mate, as someone to love and care for, and this was what he got in exchange?

"I'm here to help with the task force," the female vampire replied, as if she really didn't know what he was talking about.

"This isn't about that. This is about Colonel Merton Bell using you to get to me," Gibbs retorted.

"I haven't told him anything about you." God she seemed so sincere…but was she really? Or was she just a good actress?

"You must have, 'cause people around me are dying. People I care about. Bell is after me," Gibbs exclaimed pointing at his own chest with his finger.

"Because you threw him a Mexican jail!" Allison replied, her tone rising too.

"He's a criminal!"

"Is that for you to decide? I'm his attorney, Mr. Gibbs. He's a patriot; it's my job to defend him."

"He's a murderer!" Gibbs roared, turning away from her to hit the wall with his hand. He was losing the little of control he had regained after the interrogation, to the point he realized he had let his fangs descend without being aware of it. He stepped again near Allison, closer than before.

"How's it feel to be in the murder business, Ms. Hart?" he snarled at her, fangs bared, making her feel the full power of the vampire he was, the one who would stop in front of nothing to keep his people safe.

"I don't like what you're suggesting," she answered, and once again he had the sensation she really didn't know what was going on. And maybe it was really so, she didn't know what Bell was up to—but sure as hell she had to know where he was, and Gibbs wouldn't stop until she said it.

"Be honest with me!" he shouted. "Just one time, be honest with me. Where is he?" he asked a final time, a trying to calm down to avoid someone might hear him and come to see what was going on.

They stared at each for several, interminable seconds, as each of them tried to read in the other's mind.

Then Allison said, "Last I heard, he was headed back down to Mexico. To Baja."

Gibbs stared at her, horrified. Mexico. Baja. Mike. The girls. They were all in danger, and all because of him.

He felt like a fish caught in a net, gasping for breath as he looked for an escape route—and he had to find a way out, he couldn't have another innocent pay for a mistake he committed.

"What are you going to do?" Allison asked as he moved toward the door, "You're making a dangerous mistake."

Gibbs turned to look at a last time before he left the room and noticed the way she was looking at him. There was worry in her eyes, but not because of him…but for him.

* * *

More to come (next section is by Tony's POV, just in case you are concerned)! In the meantime, let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83 for the review!**

**XXX**

Tony had known Gibbs was worried about something from the moment he had woken up with his partner's body plastered against his back and an arm wrapped around his chest, despite the fact he had gone to sleep alone.

When he had tried to move, Gibbs' hold had tightened almost painfully, as the vampire had muttered in his sleep something sounding like: "Don't go…need you close." So Tony had stayed still, until a few minutes later Gibbs had begun to stir and had let him go.

The smile on his partner's face when he had answered to Tony's question about his presence in the apartment had been genuine, but his eyes had been clouded.

More, the younger man had caught Gibbs staring ahead, lost in thought, during breakfast and during one of those occasions, the vampire had been so far away he hadn't heard what Tony had said.

However Tony also knew that trying to push Gibbs to talk about what was bothering him was like trying to move a rock wall. His partner would speak only when he felt ready to do it—which, of course, was never soon enough for the younger man, who wished to know what was troubling older man, in order to help him.

Tony's concern about Gibbs was pushed aside when they discovered the burnt body found on an Annapolis beach was NCIS Agent Lara Macy. He had never met her, but he knew his boss and McGee had worked with her when they had been in L.A. the previous year, when Michael Rivkin had appeared for the first time.

As it often happened in those days, Gibbs had taken McGee with him when he had gone to interview Macy's mother in Cumberland. The Boss thought Probie needed more experience outside of the office, especially after his far from perfect attempt at leading the investigation during the Sawyer's case.

Tony thus went with Ziva to Norfolk, to interview Petty Officer Kaylen Burrows and her shipmates on the _USS Majestic_, in relation to the case Macy had been working before and after her return in US from Marseilles.

When Gibbs and McGee returned, it took Tony just a look to his partner to realize there was something very serious going on. His boss looked tense, worried, even haunted. And even if Tony knew it wasn't possible, Gibbs looked even older than in the morning.

/Boss?/ Tony called out using their mental connection.

/Not now, Tony. This evening./

/Okay./

The rest of the day passed quickly, but not fast enough to prevent Tony from witnessing something he had never seen before: Gibbs losing his control in the interrogation room.

The younger man had seen his boss do a lot of things during interrogations. He had seen Gibbs shout, yell, threaten, roar, slam his hands on the table, but never before Tony had seen his partner slam a suspect against the observation window with such violence the one-way mirror had cracked.

It was a terrifying spectacle and one that shocked Tony to his bones—because his boss didn't lose his control like that, not without a damn good reason, one the young man was now afraid to discover.

Near him, Director Vance stood silent and calm, listening as Randall Hammond admitted to have raped Petty Officer Burrows with his son, but begged Gibbs to believe he had nothing to do with Macy's murder.

When Gibbs let go of Hammond and stormed out of the room, Vance turned to face Tony and ordered, "Find him, DiNozzo, and take him home. Tell Gibbs I want him again in control by tomorrow morning, or I'll take control over this investigation. Is that clear?"

"Crystalline, Sir," Tony answered with a nod, leaving the observation room and going in search of Gibbs.

It took him about fifteen minutes to finally spot his Boss exiting a conference room and stride in his direction. Gibbs had a thunderous expression on his face which, while being scary, was still less frightening than the haunted, desperate look Tony had seen on his partner's face when he had listened to Hammond's confession.

"Boss," Tony exclaimed, stepping in front of his partner and blocking his path. "Vance ordered me to take you home now and to tell you to calm down or he will bench you."

The younger man saw Gibbs open his mouth, ready to retort, and spoke quickly. "I think it's sound advice, Jethro. You lost it in the interrogation room. You slammed Hammond against the glass with such strength you broke it. You're lucky you didn't break his head too. So I think you should do what Vance said…what I say."

Gibbs glared at him for a several seconds, and then nodded. "You're right, and besides, we need to talk. You need to be prepared," he replied, resuming his walk without even checking if Tony was following.

"Prepared for what?" the younger man called after him, but Gibbs was already gone.

Tony was about to follow his boss when he noticed the door of the conference room where Gibbs had been open, and M. Allison Hart's head peeked out, looking at the corridor as if she was checking if the coast was clear.

Their eyes met for a moment before they walked away in opposite directions, and Tony could not help but think, _"What are you up to, Miss Hart?"_

**X**

Later that evening, Tony and Gibbs were sitting in the former's kitchen table, both of them with a cup of coffee in their hands, for the younger man had ruled out the bourbon given his partner's recent behavior.

"So, what's going on, Boss?" Tony began, after silence had stretched long after they had finished their dinner.

"Revenge," Gibbs replied softly. "That's what is going on. Colonel Bell is getting even."

"How?" the younger man asked, leaning forward on the table to be closer to his partner.

"Have you heard about the Mexican cold case Abby has been working on?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah. I heard Jimmy Palmer say she had a twenty-year-old corpse dug up."

"Nineteen-year-old, Tony." Gibbs looked straight at him and then added, "He's Pedro Hernandez."

It took a moment for that name to click something, and when it did, Tony felt himself pale. "_That_ Pedro Hernandez? No chance of homonymy?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope, it's him, and it's not a case Abby has been given his case to investigate when she was in Mexico. Someone wanted to bring this matter to the light."

Tony nodded in understanding and quoted, "There is no such thing as coincidences."

"Yeah."

"What…did Abby discover?" the younger man asked, not really wanting to hear it, but knowing he had to.

"Enough to make her realize I killed him, but not enough to cause real trouble."

Tony sighed in relief. "Good; sometimes luck is on our side."

Gibbs shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee. "It wasn't just luck. Ducky extracted a bullet from Hernandez's head, one Abby could have matched to my sniper rifle, but I was there when it happened…and I took care of everything."

Tony was good at reading between the lines, so he commented, "Vampire powers are really handy, huh?"

His partner nodded, "Ducky and Jimmy believe there was no bullet in the skull, and I've already destroyed all the contrary evidence. However Duck knows who Pedro Hernandez was, and has guessed what I did."

Tony tapped the top of the table with his fingers, as he leant back on his chair. "I'm ready to bet he guessed it at the same time I did, just after your coma. He knows you well."

"Yeah, he does, and, just like Abby, thinks there is someone behind this…and Macy's murder."

Tony's arched his brows in surprise. "Macy? Why would Bell kill her? What connection did she have with you?"

"She was a MP in Camp Pendleton in 1991, and she opened a JAGMAN investigation about Hernandez's murder. She interrogated me, but everything ended there. I was then discharged and joined NIS. Last year I learned Macy had collected enough evidence to escalate the JAGMAN investigation to a full NIS or JAG investigation against me, but she had decided to bury everything because she thought it had been a just killing," Gibbs explained softly, and his eyes took the same haunted look Tony had seen during the day—and now the younger man understood the reasons of that look.

Lara Macy, this woman he had never met, had protected Gibbs and she had probably died because of it too. Tony felt he owned her a great debt of gratitude, because had Gibbs been investigated in 1991, he would have got a dishonorable discharge at best, if the judge conceded him some extenuating circumstances or life sentence at Leavenworth at worst. He would have never become a NIS agent and Tony would have never met, and fallen in love with him.

Tony returned to focus on the present as Gibbs went on. "Someone stole some of the notepads with personal notes Macy kept at her mother's place. McGee told me the missing ones cover the time she spent in Camp Pendleton."

"So there's no doubt they are after you…you sure it's Bell?"

"Who else it could be, Tony?" Gibbs exclaimed spreading his arms.

The younger man nodded grimly. This plan was complex and far reaching, requiring contacts among the Mexican authorities and plenty of money. Gibbs might have pissed off a lot of people, but only Bell had the means to plan something like this. And also, wasn't it the perfect revenge? Gibbs had ruined Bell's reputation, and the Colonel was set to return the favor.

"What about Miss Hart? Is she in it too?" Tony asked, suddenly remembering the meeting Gibbs had with her in the afternoon.

His partner shook his head. "I don't think so. She seemed genuinely surprised when I confronted her today. She told me I was making a mistake with Bell."

Tony watched as Gibbs stood up and poured more coffee in his cup. "What do you plan to do?"

"Don't know yet, but you realize that if Bell is looking for evidence against me, and if Macy died without saying anything, there is another person in danger of ending up like her."

"Mike Franks."

"Yep."

"Guess you have already alerted him."

"I did, but Camilla, the woman who gave him my message, said the place was full of soldiers." Gibbs looked into his cup as he whirled it around.

"You are planning to go in Mexico?" Tony asked.

"It depends on where Bell is," his partner answered, gulping down his coffee.

Tony stood up and walked to the sink to wash his cup. He had caught the slight hesitation in Gibbs' final answer, and knew the older man wasn't telling him everything. However, he also knew it wasn't the moment to press for more answers. Gibbs had already told him far more he had been expecting and getting in an argument now, after the hard day they had, and knowing tomorrow would be probably the same, wasn't the last thing Tony wanted.

So he decided to stay silent and keep a close eye on his partner, ready to offer his help and support whenever Gibbs asked for it…with his words, a gesture or just a look.

* * *

More to come! In the meantime, let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks so much to tinkerbellblu83 for the review!**

**X**

The next day they got a confirmation to their worst fears.

It turned out that the last call Macy had received from a disposable phone had been from a former Army Ranger named Jason Paul Dean, who now worked for Bell's PMC. It also turned out Bell's private jet had landed in Mexico a couple of days before, with both the Colonel and Dean on board.

By the time it became clear to the entire team that Bell was involved in Macy's murder, Tony realized with a start he hadn't seen Gibbs in quite a while. He had gone to talk with Abby and disappeared.

As soon as realization stuck, Tony went calmly to the head, closed himself in one of the stalls, away from interruptions and curious eyes, and accessed his connection with Gibbs.

/Where are you? / he asked without preamble.

/On my way to Mexico. Plane has just taken off. /

/You had this planned, hadn't you? Yesterday evening, when you said your next move depended on where Bell was…you already knew he was in Mexico. I bet you had already booked your flight, / Tony said, not even trying to hide his bitterness and anger.

/I didn't tell you not because I don't trust you, but 'cause this is my mess, and I must clean it myself. Also, if Bell is really after the people I care for, then I don't want you anywhere near Mexico or J.P. Dean. /

Tony had to unwillingly admit Gibbs was right—and that his boss also needed someone in DC able to look after Abby, Ducky and the others.

/Boss, listen-/

/No, DiNozzo, / Gibbs interrupted him. /I'm in peak shape. I'll be fine. /

/I hope so…but it wasn't what I was about to say. Please, don't kill Bell when you find him. Use your Jedi-like trick to make him stop whatever he is doing, but don't kill him. Without that bullet he has nothing that could really damage you, but if you kill him out of revenge…/

/I'll do what is necessary to keep my people safe, / his partner answered in a hard tone and the connection fell silent.

/Jethro? Boss? Damn it Gibbs, don't do anything stupid! / Tony mentally shouted, hoping Gibbs would hear him.

A knock on the stall door startled him. "Are you there, Tony?" McGee asked from behind the door.

"Yeah, Probie, I'm here. Can't a man have some privacy in the head?"

"Uh...yes…but you've been gone for a long time…"

"Were you afraid I fell inside the toilet?" Tony asked, sarcastic as he flushed the unused toilet and opened the door. He walked to the sink to wash his hands as McGee followed him.

"No, but I thought you might feel unwell. Also, the director is looking for you. He wants you in his office ASAP."

"Why didn't you say it sooner?" Tony exclaimed, striding toward the door without bothering to dry his hands.

A couple of minutes later, the young man was admitted and Vance's office, where he found in close quarters with M. Allison Hart for the first time since the Vega case. Tony had to admit she was really beautiful, and he once again wondered how it would feel like to share Jethro with her, to know his partner slept with her too. He was getting used to the idea, for he had sensed more than once the longing Jethro tried so hard to suffocate and he wanted to make it go away.

"Where is Gibbs?" Vance's question brought Tony back to the present. "Security said he ran out of his place like it was on fire."

"Excuse me, sir, but why am I here exactly?" Miss Hart asked and Tony heard the confusion in her voice.

"'Cause based on what I'm hearing, Special Agent Macy's killer worked for Colonel Bell, your client," Vance turned his hard eyes toward the woman as he pulled out a photo from a folder and showing it to Hart. "This is Lieutenant Jason Paul Dean. That's Bell's right-hand man."

"I don't represent Mr. Dean," the lawyer replied, giving back the photo, but Vance had nothing of it.

"But you represent Bell's firm...First Defense PMC. Dean is employed by First Defense."

"Which means you're in the hot seat, M. Allison Hart," Tony underscored, as he stared hard at her with his arms crossed over his chest. Gibbs had said she wasn't part of Bell's plan, but his partner was also a man in love, whose judgment could have been clouded by his feelings. Hart had better prove to him she had nothing to do with the mess Gibbs was currently in, or Tony would make personally sure she would never set a foot within a one mile radius from his partner. "I'll find Gibbs," the young man said to Vance, walking away from the room and leaving to the director the right to chew out the lawyer first.

Once outside the office and its antechamber Tony waited; after all he already knew where Gibbs was. It wouldn't take long to discover the exact plane his boss was on and report it to Vance.

A few minutes later, Tony heard a door open and close followed by soft steps. He waited until Hart was in the corridor, then he grabbed her by a wrist and dragged her toward the elevator.

"Agent DiNozzo, what are you doing?" she protested trying to free her wrist, but Tony didn't loosen his grip until they were closed inside the elevator, with the power switched off.

Hart rubbed her wrist and looked at him with furious eyes. "Agent DiNozzo, this is a serious-"

"We need to talk, lady, and I think is best if we do it where no one can listen," he said, stepping closer to her.

"I don't understand what you want from me, I've already talked to Director Vance and-"

"Let me be more explicit: I know what you are, M. Allison Hart. _All of it_. And do you know why?" She didn't answer, but Tony had seen her eyes widen in surprise. "I know because I'm Gibbs' mate."

This time she wasn't able to hide her surprise. "His mate?"

"Yes, for the past three years."

"I wasn't aware of it," she murmured.

"Good. We're happy to know Colonel Bell doesn't know about us." Tony narrowed his eyes and took another step closer to her. "So lady lawyer, what are you up to?"

Hart licked her lips and began to talk. "Colonel Bell asked me to get close to Gibbs, to know more about what kind of agent he was…but…"

"But something changed when you discovered Gibbs is like you…" Tony was always careful not to mention the word 'vampire' in the building.

"Yes…" Hart shook her head and waved with her hand. "You perhaps know the women of my kind are rare…" She looked up at Tony, who nodded. "Something inside our genetic make-up drives us look for men able to protect us. We look for powerful men, and with powerful, I don't mean rich or influential, I mean their inner strength. Up to meeting Mr. Gibbs, Colonel Bell was the most powerful man I've ever known. He has been my first big client and a sort of mentor, and I was happy to help him when he asked me to get close to Mr. Gibbs. And then…I met your mate and everything changed." Hart licked her lips again and murmured, "Have you an idea of how powerful he is? Of his inner strength?"

Tony nodded and replied, "I might not feel it as you do, but yes, I know."

"I felt out of depth near him…making his life difficult on the job was my attempt to block out what he was doing to me, but the more I was near him, the more I wanted to know. But I was also conflicted, because of what he had done to Colonel Bell, a man I respected and believed in. But now, what Mr. Gibbs and Director Vance told me about the Colonel, is making me wonder if he really was the man I thought him to be," she concluded, crossing her arms on her chest as if she was trying to hug herself.

Tony understood what she was feeling. He was no longer pissed with her and, as someone who had been betrayed more than once by people he trusted and respected, he could sympathize with what she was feeling.

"Allison," he asked kindly, "what do you feel for Jethro?"

She looked at him, her eyes thoughtful, and answered, "I like him. A lot. As a man, as one of us…even as an agent. His methods might not be orthodox, but I feel his intentions are always good, and that he wouldn't stop short of anything to protect his loved ones. I-I would give everything I own and more for a mate like him."

Tony smiled weakly, "It would be a very good trade." He sobered again and decided it was time he made his mind about a certain matter. "Allison, I know what a clan is, and I know Gibbs wishes to have you in his."

"He does?" he asked, her expression brightening.

"Yes—but he will pursue you only if I give him my permission to do it-"

She deflated, her hopeful look crumbling, "Which you'll never give him."

"Which I plan to give him," Tony corrected her. "But only if all this mess doesn't end in his career being ruined or in a bloodbath." And speaking so, he gave power to the elevator, pushed the button to open the doors and walked away, without looking back even once.

* * *

OK, I think it is a good time to repeat something I've not said in a while: **Remember Rule # 8**! I know most of you don't approve/like Tony's decision, but I think most of you will agree it was almost a given, considering Tony's love for Gibbs and this character's desire to please. That said, I repeat what I have been saying all along: don't jump to conclusions. Don't assume anything. Don't presume to know how this will end. There are a few more chapters…please trust me till the end, because it is there (in the very last chapter) that everything will become clearer.

Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you to Vizio, tinkerbellblu83 and DreamCatcher for their reviews!**

**A/N: You were missing these, weren't you? *wink* As fully expected, yesterday chapter caused another bout of "I'll stop reading..." reviews/PMs, showing once again people don't understand the meaning of "Don't assume anything". **

**So, since I'm really getting tired to waste my breath, especially with people who never review but come out of lurkedom only to tell me they aren't going to read anymore (which never fails to amuse me), I'll tell you this: a few chapters ago (chapter 11), SiriusFan02 left a review listing a few theories about how this story could end. I replied in private telling one of those theories was the correct one. So, if you really can't trust me and follow me till the end, check the review pages for SiriusFan02's, and take a look at those theories. One of them, I repeat, is the correct one.**

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**11- Rule Fifty-One**

The sight of what he had believed to be Mike's mutilated body and the anguish caused by the awareness someone else had died because of him, were the only reasons J.P. Dean was able to catch Gibbs unaware and press a gun against him before he could react.

Then, the news the corpse he had been staring at wasn't Mike's but Bell's, and thus the need to discover who was behind all of it, had stopped the vampire from reacting and killing Dean on spot.

The blow to his head had hurt like hell, but hadn't really knocked him out, and Gibbs had secretly enjoyed how hard Dean had had to labor to load his dead-like body on a truck.

The villa where he was now looked like an oasis in the desert. It was beautiful, but some of that beauty was lost to him, for he knew what had paid for it: drug money.

As for the woman serving him a glass of scotch, it didn't take a genius to guess who she was. McGee had told him in passing about his and Abby's encounter with the Reynosa cartel while they were in Mexico, and how a woman had given a gun shell case to them, the brass Gibbs had left on the ridge as signature and wondered how it had ended in Abby's hand.

"You know who I am?" she asked.

"Paloma Reynosa. Head of the Reynosa cartel," he answered, seeing no point in denying it.

"What else do you know?"

"That the drug trade is recession-proof," he commented sarcastically and tried to guess what the hell she wanted.

"Tennessee Williams said: 'We are all sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins for life.'" Reynosa said, looking at the landscape around her. "Surrounded by men with guns, I think of this often. Beautiful, sad, but frank. Do you consider yourself a frank man?"

Gibbs didn't see the point to answer, so he didn't. He wasn't there to comment poetry.

"He also said all cruel people describe themselves as paragons of frankness. I would expect nothing less from the man who murdered my father," Paloma completed, staring hard at him.

Everything clicked in place. Now Gibbs knew why he and the people he cared for had been targeted. He also had a brutal reminder of why revenge was seldom a good idea. Because revenge breeds revenge, even twenty years later.

Gibbs never really regretted killing Pedro Hernandez. To him, the man got what he deserved, not only for what he did to Shannon and Kelly, but also to the NIS agent who died with them, and to the Marine whose murder his wife had witnessed.

However, sometimes, when he had to arrest people for having done the same thing he did, Gibbs found himself thinking that maybe, had he not let his pain and anger obfuscate his common sense, he could have dealt with Hernandez in a different way. Maybe, as the federal agent he had later become, he could have found a way to ensure justice for his girls and the other victims.

Sometime the awareness of what a kind of hypocrite he was when he accused people of being murderers was almost overwhelming, but he then remembered all the good he had done since that one mistake. He was a good agent, he had saved lives, and if it probably would never atone for what he did, he was determinate to keep doing his job until NCIS regulations about mandatory retirement would make him stop.

"I see you choose your words carefully, Agent Gibbs," Paloma Reynosa said, commenting his silence. "That is good. Your life depends on them."

"I don't usually drink scotch," he just said, gulping down the brown liquid.

His host smirked and sat down at the table as he looked at her intently, wondering what she was up to. If she wanted revenge, why hadn't she ordered Dean to shoot him? Or did she want do it herself?

"You solve crimes for a living," Reynosa began, as if she was discussing the weather, but her keen and unsettling eyes never stopped to observe him. Gibbs could only imagine what she was feeling at looking at her father's killer after so much time. "Is there such a thing as a perfect murder?"

"I've never seen one," he answered, sincere.

"But how would it work?"

"It's not the method, it's the victim," he explained, and added, but only in his mind. _And even then everything can completely go wrong…your father's death is a perfect example of it_.

"Kill someone no one will miss," Reynosa suggested.

Gibbs smirked and replied softly, "You don't need tips on how to kill me."

The young woman shook her head. "I am not opposed to killing or torture when it suits my needs. That is part of my business. The late Colonel Bell wanted to prove he was a better man than you. He and his men made for a useful ally, but they were a means to an end. Namely you."

"I don't know what you're after, but you might as well put a bullet in my head right now, because you're not gonna get anything," Gibbs answered, idly wondering what would happen if she did just that. Would he be able to heal the damage to his brain? Theoretically yes, since the only thing able to cause the death of a vampire was bleeding out, but he wasn't very keen on discovering if it was true or not.

"It's never easy to turn someone, to change them. A federal agent in Washington, DC? You have value," Reynosa continued with that deceptively soft tone of hers. "I don't want your death. I want your life."

The last line was said with such a chilling tone Gibbs felt a shiver run along his spine. This woman was really dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous opponent Gibbs had ever faced, and that included Eli David and his Kidon vampire.

Reynosa smiled coldly and said, "Follow me. We will continue inside."

Gibbs stood up and followed her in the house—not that he could have done differently with Dean shadowing him.

Once inside, he assessed the situation and decided against trying to flee—at least not until he knew what Reynosa had meant with her last line, and if she posed some danger for Tony and the others.

"You gonna make me suffer?" the vampire asked, as he sat on a low couch. "Threat of a murder charge forces me to work with you? Thing about being a cop called burden of proof."

"You want evidence?" Reynosa answered. "An investigation performed by your own people that conclusively put your signature on the crime."

"Show me. Prove to me I'm guilty of a crime. Bring it out in the open. I know something about convictions. I get 'em and I got 'em…and I can tell you the investigation was everything but conclusive. Just wait and see the report my people will send to the task force," Gibbs urged her, watching closely at her reaction to his lines.

Reynosa just smiled and nodded slightly to Dean, who was standing behind Gibbs.

"I don't care to put you on trial, Gibbs," she commented as Dean approached her carrying something. She sat down, perched on the coffee table and went on, "It may not suit my needs to kill you. But it might be useful to kill everyone you ever met- starting with your friend Mike." And speaking so she unfolded a piece of fabric to reveal a bloody, severed finger. Nausea assaulted Gibbs and the woman continued to speak, with that calm, chilly tone of hers, "Your former mother-in-law comes next."

"Doing me favors now?" Gibbs commented as he regained some of his composure. He couldn't let her see how scared he was for Mike. She was like a wild animal, and he would be doomed if she smelled his fears.

"And then your coworkers. If I must, I promise to personally visit Pennsylvania and shoot your father in the head."

Gibbs did his best not to pale. The idea his father or Tony…or any of the others… could be killed because of him almost strangled his breath away. He knew he would probably go crazy with pain if it happened…he was already going crazy, at the mere idea of it. The desire to jump, bare his fangs and tear apart Dean and Reynosa's throats washed over him, almost like a real tide, as fear, hate and anger coursed through him. The vampire felt his body coil, ready to spring, ready to unleash the predator inside him, the beast that wanted blood…but in that moment a voice from the past penetrated his red-hazed mind:

_"Promise me, Leroy. Promise you'll never kill a human as a vampire. War and other life's happenings might put you in the position of having to kill, my son, but never use your superior strength and fastness against humans."_

Gibbs remembered that day in a flash. It had been just a few months before his mother had died, and they had been talking about how easily vampires could overwhelm humans, thanks to their enhanced abilities. He had had already shown a fascination for military life, so it was possible one day he would be forced to kill someone.

_"I promise, Mom. I'll never kill a human as a vampire,"_ he had answered to his mother's concerns…and his promise still stood, even now, when this cold, calculating woman threatened everyone he held dear.

So Gibbs forced himself to calm down, to dispel his blood lust as Reynosa, completely unaware of how close she had been to being torn apart, pushed a package toward him and explained, "We will start small. Just make sure this package is delivered. How many more lives are your convictions worth?"

The vampire barely heard her. As he regained his calm and rationality, he began to see that there was a way out of all this mess, one that didn't involve bloodbaths and that could put an end to all the threats Reynosa had made against his people. But before he could even start to find the focus he needed, several loud voices were heard, as a group of armed soldiers barged into the house.

Gibbs twisted on his seat to see what was going on and spotted Alejandro Rivera stride toward them with a thunderous look on his face.

"_Buenos Dias, Senor Rivera_," Reynosa said calmly, as Rivera stopped in front of them.

"_Es policia_," he said pointing at Gibbs. "_Es Americano_!"

"_Es un problema_? We are just having a drink," Reynosa answered calmly, completely unruffled by having a flock of _federales _in her house.

"Agent Gibbs, has this woman made threats against you?" Rivera asked. "Do you want to file charges for abduction?"

"Remember my advice," Reynosa commented idly when Gibbs turned to look at her. "Choose your words carefully."

"No threats...against me personally," was Gibbs' answer—and, after all, it was the truth. She had threatened to kill everyone he loved, but had threatened nothing against him.

Rivera seemed to be angry at Gibbs' answer and after barking some orders in Spanish, he gestured to the door and ordered the vampire. "Come with me."

"Say _adios_," Reynosa saluted him with a smirk, and Gibbs had the distinctive sensation they would see each other again—and soon.

But not even that had prepared him for how _soon_ it would turn out to be. Just the time Alejandro Rivera needed to discover someone had stopped the report Abby had made about Pedro Hernandez's death, and they were back at the villa, where a smirking Dean greeted Gibbs with an ironic, "Surprise."

The news Alejandro and Paloma were brother and sister was not that shocking. It made a lot of sense and it explained why Pedro Hernandez's case had ended up on Abby's table. Gibbs wasn't even surprised no one had ever made the connection between Paloma Reynosa and Alejandro Rivera. After all, the report Mike Franks had had about Hernandez, the one Gibbs had checked before setting off to hill the man, had described him as unmarried and childless…and yet there they were, a brother and a sister ready to get their revenge after twenty years.

"Your sister wants to make me her pet," Gibbs said to Rivera as they all returned inside the house and he was again sitting on the couch. "And you? What do you want? You want to put me on trial?"

"I cannot," the young Mexican answered darkly. "Without that report, it will be her way. Or she kills everyone you love. There is no other option."

Gibbs remained silent for a while as Rivera kept on glaring at him.

A plan had started to take shape in his mind, but in order to put it in action; he needed to be alone with the two siblings. He knew he could persuade both of them, but he wasn't sure he could pull it off with Dean and the other guard present. The persuasion was like radio waves…the more people there were present to receive them, the lesser was their effect. The persuasion allowed vampires to give simple commands to a crowd, but the conditioning he was planning was a difficult one, and required his full power to be focused on the siblings only.

But what could he do to be left alone with only Reynosa and Rivera? Then Gibbs noticed the worried look on Paloma's face as she stared at her brother. It seemed like she was afraid he would do something rash. Could it offer the vampire the opening he needed?

Gibbs decided to take the chance; after all, he had nothing to lose. So he recited a riddle he had been taught as a child, one that managed to confuse the two Mexicans, because the solution was just a play with English words.

Dean solved it and then said, "Most retarded riddle I've ever heard."

"My father told it to me," Gibbs commented, although it had been L.J. Davis, his father's best friend and the guy he was named after, that had taught it to him. "My dad," the vampire continued with an amused snort. "Never an easy guy. But it takes a man to make a man, right?"

As hoped, Rivera didn't react well to his words and visibly tensed.

"_Hermano_," his sister said, trying to calm him down, so Gibbs continued to taut the Mexican.

"When things get rough, I can still go talk to him."

That did it. Rivera lost control and pulled Gibbs' gun out of Dean's belt, and pointed it straight at the still sitting vampire.

"You know so much, Gibbs," the man growled, his face a mask of fury mixed with pain. "Well, tell me this? How will this feel to me? What will it feel like to pull this trigger?"

"Alejandro..." his sister interjected, trying to calm her brother, "don't let him make you into a killer. You are more powerful in the government."

"_Bastante_, Paloma!" Rivera cried. "I'm gonna shoot him with his own gun."

Gibbs watched calmly as the younger man adjusted his grip over the gun. He could see the sweat on Rivera's brow and tears leaking from his narrowed eyes. The man was about to break, so the vampire decided to inflict the final blow.

"You've never done this before," Gibbs replied softly as he stared into Rivera's eyes. "I have. I've killed men and women in combat, in the line, and in life, and some of them still haunt me. But I never lost a night's sleep over your father." He stood up and went face to face with Rivera. "You want to know what it feels like to be the hand of justice? Then pull the damn trigger yourself and find out. Go on. Do it!"

The younger man started to visibly tremble, as tears streaked down his cheeks. He grimaced and then his arm lowered, as Gibbs had known he would do—because the vampire could read people well, and he had felt the Mexican wasn't someone able to kill in cold blood.

Rivera was weeping openly now and Paloma, ever the protective sister, did what Gibbs had hoped she would do: she sent Dean and the guard away, not wanting them to witness to her brother's emotional breakdown.

This was the moment Gibbs had been waiting for, and he didn't waste a second. He approached the pair and focused his gaze on them.

"Sit down," he said calmly. "We need to talk."

The siblings obeyed, sitting on the couch as Gibbs sat on the long, low table in front of it.

The vampire took a moment to think about best proceed, and then began, his tone low, steady, as the power of persuasion washed over the siblings. "Paloma, Alejandro, listen to me."

They both looked at him, their eyes unnaturally fixed. "We listen to you," they said in unison.

"Your father was killed by a rival drug dealer, not by me. This is all a mistake. Colonel Bell lied to you."

"Our father was killed by a rival drug dealer, not by you. This is all a mistake. Colonel Bell lied to us," the siblings repeated, and an angry grimace appeared on Paloma's face as she pronounced the last line.

"Shh, calm down," Gibbs whispered. "He already got what he deserved. Paloma, now you will give me the notepads J.P. Dean stole from Lara Macy's house and all the other evidence you got from Colonel Bell. Move naturally."

Gibbs watched as the woman stood up and walked away, her movements less zombie-like than Palmer's when the young M.E. had been under persuasion. Her walk looked so natural that Dean, who was standing at the end of the long corridor, nodded to her and she replied in the same way.

A few minutes later, Paloma returned with a small box, which she handed to Gibbs as she sat again near her brother.

Gibbs quickly scanned the content of the box. There was a copy of the NIS case reports about the Marine Hernandez had killed in Oceanside mentioning Shannon as witnesses and about his girls' murder; a resume of Gibbs' career in the USMC with the words 'scout sniper' underlined; Macy's notepads; a copy of Camp Pendleton registry with a note about Gibbs being on leave in June 1991. All documents Bell had found using his connections in the military.

There was no real proof in those documents that Gibbs had killed Hernandez, not even if the unused Lapua bullet Paloma had given Abby was added to the mix. Until the moment the vampire had confirmed it, all the two siblings had was just a theory, nothing more. Yet, they had killed two people, maybe more, based on it.

"Where is Mike Franks?" Gibbs asked, as he put everything back into the box.

"We don't know," answered Paloma.

"And the finger?"

"It was found on the beach. We think it might be his, but we don't know for certain."

"You will forget everything about him and his family, do you understand?" Gibbs ordered.

"We will forget him."

"And you will destroy this," commanded giving the box back to Paloma, who nodded quickly, a bit of fear crossing her face at the anger coloring the vampire's tone.

"As for you," Gibbs turned to focus on Rivera. "You will now take me to a place where I can contact my people. I'll go away carrying this," he picked up the package Paloma wanted him to deliver, "and you won't say anything of this conversation to Dean, understood?"

"Yes," the younger man answered.

"Also, you two will make sure J.P. Dean returns to the states. You have no fault in this, but he has. He will be punished for killing Special Agent Lara Macy."

"Yes," the siblings answered in unison and Gibbs nodded to himself. He was almost done, which was good, because he was tiring fast.

"Now, call Dean back in. It's time I leave."

Paloma gestured with her hand and Dean returned into the room, smirking when he saw Gibbs pick up the grey package and the severed finger.

"Nice souvenirs, uh?" the former ranger commented as he handed Gibbs his unloaded gun.

Gibbs glared at him, and put the gun into his jeans. "I swear I'll find a way to make you pay for Macy's murder," he hissed, but Dean just smirked more.

"Yeah, sure."

Gibbs turned to Rivera and said, "I think it's time I leave."

The young Mexican shook his head and stared at Gibbs with wild eyes. He looked like a man just realizing he had committed a terrible mistake, one that could cost him everything.

The vampire nodded imperceptibly, encouraging him and Rivera to stand up, pulling out from his pocket the car keys and saying, "_Vamonos_."

They walked to Rivera's SUV, climbed into it, and once on the road, the Mexican Justice Department officer said, "I'm taking you to the airport, Agent Gibbs. Director Vance has sent a plane to pick up Colonel Bell's body."

Gibbs nodded, but didn't say anything.

They travelled in silence for a while, the Rivera turned to look at Gibbs with a very concerned expression, "Agent Gibbs, I don't know what to say. This is a terrible mistake. Colonel Bell told us all the proof was against you, and we believed him. We shouldn't have."

"Merton Bell was good with his words, Rivera, and he never forgave me for putting him behind bars. He wanted revenge and used you to get it."

The younger man nodded and asked, "What will happen next?"

"The link between you and Paloma Reynosa isn't my business," Gibbs answered. "I just want Dean. He has killed Lara Macy and Merton Bell, and he is wanted by my government. Let him believe you have me in your hold, and that I'll cover his return to the US. I'll handle it from there."

"As for the rest? The threat against your people?" Rivera pressed, still worried.

Gibbs waved with his hand. "All forgotten, as long as I never hear again about you or your sister."

Rivera nodded energetically, clearly very relieved. "Of course. Thank you, Agent Gibbs."

The vampire looked at the other man for a moment, then relaxed against the seat and took a deep breath.

He had done it. Everything had been resolved for the best and no one else had died. Now all he needed to do was to return home and face Vance…and Tony.

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Matter solved, vampire-style! Let me know what you think and remember reviews make me update faster!


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83 for the review!**

**XXX**

Tony was worried; there was no point in denying it. Gibbs had been gone for over thirty hours and he hadn't answered any of his attempts to contact him.

McGee and Ziva were worried too, and how couldn't they not be worrying after Alejandro Rivera had informed them Colonel Bell had been found dead along with other men, probably belonging to the Reynosa drug cartel, near Mike Franks' burned down house?

Tony was now sitting in the squad room with Ziva, as McGee was in MTAC, monitoring all the transmissions coming from Mexico in the hope to learn something new about Gibbs or Franks.

The senior agent was sorry Ziva's joy at having passed her naturalization tests was marred by the tension reigning in the office. They should be celebrating and laughing, not waiting in silence for a phone call from their errant boss.

Tony knew why Gibbs had kept all of them in the dark and had gone to Mexico alone. He knew the older man thought that since it was his mess, he needed to resolve it alone. He knew how protective his partner was, and understood Gibbs probably worked better when he didn't have to worry about his mortal, human team mates getting shot. But even so, it sucked to be left behind again and again as his boss went on his solo crusades.

The phone on his desk rang, and Tony rushed to pick the receiver up, as in front of him Ziva raised her head to look at him with expectant eyes.

"Agent DiNozzo," he answered, but his hope deflated when he recognized Vance assistant's voice.

_"The Director wants to see you and Agent David."_

"All right," Tony replied, ending the call. "Vance wants to see us," he answered to Ziva's unspoken question. "Let's go."

A few moments later the two agents were informed they had to board a C-130 departing from Pax River.

"Where is it going?" Ziva asked.

"Ride-along to Mexico," Vance answered, as he collected some papers and left his office, closely followed by Tony and Ziva. "Ms. Scuito and Dr. Mallard are done with the cold case. Return Hernandez's body, escort the new bodies back to Andrews and then here. Assure an unbroken chain of evidence."

They were in the middle of the corridor when McGee joined them.

"McGee, tell Rivera the airlift is en route," Vance ordered, but the Probie had more to say.

"Uh, he's got news, too...no word on Franks, but apparently, he thinks they have tracked Gibbs' location."

Tony's heart soared. Someone knew where Gibbs was! He waited eagerly to hear the location, but it wasn't to be.

"I never mentioned Gibbs to them," Vance commented, looking straight at McGee. "Who told them to look for Gibbs?"

"Well, I may have mentioned it. Was that not supposed to happen?"

In other occasions, Tony would have teased McGee for his Probie mistake, but not this time. Because now they had people in Mexico looking for Gibbs and that was a good thing…or so he hoped.

"You want us to bring Gibbs back, too, Director?" Tony asked, hoping for an affirmative answer.

"Plane's only gonna be on the ground long enough to load, couple of hours, tops. You really think you can locate and retrieve Gibbs in that period of time?" Vance answered brushing one of his eyes before he entered into MTAC.

"Did you see that?" Tony asked when he was again alone with Ziva.

"See what?" she replied, confused.

"The wink."

"Director Vance winked?"

"I think he winked. Unless he was prepping his eye for the scanner, but..." Tony's voice trailed off as he walked down the stairs.

"Why would it matter if he winked?" Ziva wondered as she followed him in the squad room and to their desks, where they retrieved their guns and badges.

"'Cause that's what he and Gibbs do. They have this whole wink-wink-nudge- nudge language. If Vance can't green-light an op, he expects us to pick up the slack when we see it," Tony explained as moved toward the elevator.

"You see slack?"

"I don't know. Did you see a wink?" He didn't wait for her answer and added. "Let's get ready for the flight. Is your emergency bag ready? In your car?"

"Of course it is!" Ziva exclaimed, just as the elevator arrived.

They had just stepped inside and the doors were closing, when Abby slipped between them.

"You guys are going to Mexico," she asked, speaking very fast. "What's the plan?"

"What do you know, Abbs?" Tony asked, surprised by her sudden arrival.

"Gibbs mentioned rule forty," Abby answered, switching off the power.

"If you think someone's out to get you, they are?" Tony quoted aloud, then added if only to himself, _Yes, Abby there's no doubt this situation is a perfect application of rule forty._

"I have never heard a rule in the forties," Ziva commented.

"They don't come up very often," the senior agent explained.

"And that's a good thing," Abby added.

"How many times have I told Gibbs to write these things down?" Ziva said, exasperated.

Tony looked down at her, "You don't have to write 'em down, they're for daily use...most of the rules... but the forties-"

"The forties are for emergency use only," Abby completed in a worried tone.

"If the forties are in play, something unspeakably bad is going down," Tony underscored—knowing all too well this is was exactly the case.

"We have to get him back," Ziva urged and Tony nodded.

Vance's order and Abby's concern in front of Ziva gave him the perfect excuse for Tony to go looking for his partner, and he fully intended to use it.

He was tired of waiting and worrying. He wanted to act, and he couldn't care less if Gibbs would probably be pissed when he discovered that Tony was in Mexico. The younger man would just tell him to stick it, because nothing of it would have happened if the vampire had just bothered to contact him.

**X**

Tony was pissed off. Really, really,_ really_ pissed off with his partner.

When the plane had landed in Mexico, he and Ziva had agreed not to leave until they found their boss, uncaring of the fact they were acting without authorization or jurisdiction.

They had been completely taken aback when the first thing they had seen when the cargo ramp had been lowered was Gibbs walking calmly toward them.

The older man had just said their names as greeting and then, without uttering a word more, he had sat down on a bench on the plane and promptly had fallen asleep.

Which he was still doing, five hours later, totally unaware of the holes Tony and Ziva were boring into his head as they willed him to wake up and _talk_.

Tony wanted to know what Gibbs had done during the previous two days, where Alejandro Rivera had located him and, most important, if he had a hand in Colonel Bell's death.

When finally Gibbs decided to open his eyes, Tony couldn't stop himself from speaking to him with a tone he had used only once with his boss and partner, the time he had confronted the older man in Autopsy after that fiasco with Domino. Back then, Tony had been hurt and angered by the fact Gibbs hadn't trusted him enough to reveal to him about the plan for catching Lee red-handed. Now, it was his worry that spurred him to talk to his boss in a way that was anything but respectful.

"You didn't find Franks?" he asked.

No answer.

"I said you didn't find Mike Franks?" he repeated, with a louder voice.

"I heard you," Gibbs answered in an annoyed tone.

"So you just don't want to talk about it?" Tony almost spat, uncaring of Ziva's punch on his thigh.

Gibbs shifted a bit on the bench and answered, "Bartender said that Franks' family left town the day before."

"So he knew something was coming," Tony said, mostly for Ziva's benefit, because he knew very well Gibbs had alerted Franks. "What else did you find out?"

"_Federales_ got tired of me asking questions," Gibbs answered with a grimace.

"Why didn't you just tell them you were with the task force?"

"Because I wasn't!" Gibbs roared, as his eyes glared at him, ordering him to drop the topic.

"Still, I would've thought it'd take the whole Mexican army to kick you out," Tony commented, wanting to land a final blow before shutting up.

He didn't want this to escalate to a fight, and especially not in front of Ziva, who was looking at him as if she thought he was crazy for talking to Gibbs in that way. However he wasn't a happy camper and he wanted his partner to know it.

Silence fell again in the cargo bay—but not in Tony and Gibbs' minds.

/What happened In Mexico Boss? / the younger man asked in a calmer tone, hoping his partner would be more collaborative if they talked that way. /What happened to Bell? /

/He decided to get even with me by digging up my past and passing the information to the Reynosa cartel, and they had him killed as 'thank you',/ Gibbs answered.

Tony tried not to frown in confusion, not wanting Ziva to notice it. /Why?/

/'Cause Paloma Reynosa and Alejandro Rivera are Pedro Hernandez's children./

/Oh God, / the younger man exclaimed. /You didn't know he had children? /

/No, I didn't. And to be completely honest, I don't know if him being a father would have stopped me. Maybe it would have…maybe not. We'll never know. /

Tony sensed the sincerity in Gibbs' declaration. His partner wasn't proud of what he had done, but he wasn't sugar coating the truth. Also the younger man knew some of the men he had killed in action had left behind fatherless children. It was a harsh truth, but one every soldier or LEO had to accept.

/Revenge breeds revenge, / Tony commented after a long moment of silence. /I guess it was why in the past children were killed too, so they couldn't grow up wanting to avenge their fathers. Like they did to Russell Crowe's character's son in 'Gladiator'./

/Yes, Tony, I know, / came Gibbs' half-exasperated answer.

/So, what did their revenge involve? /

/Paloma Reynosa wanted to make me her pet. She threatened to kill all the people I care for if I didn't obey her. Alejandro instead wanted to put me on trial, but apparently someone stopped Abby's report from reaching his hands, so he had decided to stick with his sister's plan./

/Nice people…/ Tony commented sarcastic, as his mind worked to find a way to help his partner out of that mess. Then he realized something. /You spoke in the past sense. What happened? Are they dead? /

/Nope. I just persuaded them I'm not the guy that killed their father, and that Bell used them to get even with me. / Gibbs answered with the mental equivalent of a small smile. /Rivera has apologized for the whole trip from his sister's villa to the airport./

/That was great. No more bloodshed. Good./Tony was unable to prevent himself from smiling, but Ziva didn't notice, for she was sound asleep. /And Mike? / he suddenly remembered. /Did you see him? /

/No,/ Gibbs answered grimly. /Rivera told me they don't know where he is, but they found a severed finger that they believe to be his on the beach near his house. /

/Ugh,/ Tony commented with a shiver.

/I hope he'll contact me soon, so I'll be able to tell him he's no longer in danger and to go to the hospital if he needs to./

/Yeah… As said months ago, everything would be easier if you could use this connection with him too. /

/And as I said months ago, a connection like ours can be developed only between mates, and Mike is most certainly not my type, / Gibbs replied with a glare.

/What about Leyla? She's very attractive. Wouldn't you want her in your clan? /

/No, Tony. I've promised Mike to take care of her and Amira should something happen to him, but I would do that just as a friend. As for a clan, I guess I won't have one any time soon. /

/Why?/ Tony asked, surprised. /You no longer want Miss Hart? /

/I want her,/ Gibbs answered softly, his eyes full of sincerity, /but I don't think you'll ever be comfortable with the idea of sharing me, so I won't pursue her./

/Well, Jethro, you're wrong here. I gave it a lot of thought and I believe that if you can promise me I'll always come first in your heart…your first mate…then I'll be okay with sharing you with Allison,/ Tony replied, equally sincere.

/Really?/

The younger man could hear surprise, hope and excitement in his partner's mental voice.

/Yes. I love you and I want to see you happy. I don't want you to deny part of yourself. Just promise me you'll love me forever…and please, stop at a clan of just two. I don't think I could share you with more people./

Gibbs smiled, but his eyes were dead serious. /I promise, Tony—on Shannon and Kelly's memory./

His partner's love washed over Tony, and the younger man basked in its purity and strength. Feeling it penetrate in his very soul, made Tony realize the promise he had just asked for had been useless. There hadn't been any need for it.

/No, it wasn't useless. You needed the words, Tony, and I was happy to say them for you, / the vampire replied gently.

Tony smiled broadly, conscious his eyes were suspiciously bright and not caring a fig about it. /I love you Jethro, and if wasn't for Ziva here, I would be kissing you senseless right now…but I guess I will need to wait till we are home. /

/Yep…I think it would be for the best. /

/Then I'll do it as soon as we're alone. /

/Is it a promise? /

/Yep./

/Good./

They both grinned and just looked at each other across the cargo bay, until the monotonous noise of the engines lulled Tony to sleep.

**XXX**

Gibbs felt much better after a trip home and a shower had taken care of the dirt, sweat and grime he had collected during his sojourn in Mexico.

On his way to the Navy Yard, his mind kept returning on what Tony had said on the plane. He was free to court Allison and make her his mate too, if she wanted—and he was pretty sure she wanted that, unless he had scared away with his outburst in the conference room.

Gibbs had been hoping Tony would give him permission, but, as the months passed, he had almost resigned to never get it. And now his precious, wonderful mate had given him leave, and the idea he could now have a clan of his own was simply mind-blowing.

As he pulled his car up in the NCIS garage, Gibbs pushed away all the thoughts not pertinent with his job and focused on the tasks ahead. First of all he had to face Vance, and then he would need to talk with Abby, and finally organize a trap for J.P. Dean.

When he arrived in the squad room, Gibbs' acute vampire hearing overheard Tony and Ziva talk about his gun and the fact it had been used to shoot at Colonel Bell, although Ducky had demonstrated the cause of death had been another.

"So, Dean must have had access to Gibbs' gun sometime during the time the Boss was in Mexico, which means we have to assume he met Dean..."

"That's true," Gibbs interjected, needing to find a convincing explanation for Ziva, since he couldn't reveal the truth of what had happened in Mexico.

"Oh Boss, you're here!" Tony exclaimed aloud, then adding, just for Gibbs' ears. /Can you explain this without dragging Reynosa and Rivera in the story? /

/I think so. / "Yeah, I'm here, DiNozzo, and yes, my trip in Mexico wasn't a walk in the park."

"So you met Dean there and somehow he had the chance to use your gun to shoot to Bell?" Ziva suggested, clearly curious to know what had happened.

"Yes," Gibbs growled. "But I got it back." He glared to both his agents and barked, "Get back to work. Find Dean!"

Tony and Ziva returned to their desks, but not before Gibbs overheard his mate whisper to his colleague, "He doesn't want to tell us what happened. He is probably embarrassed he let someone get the upper hand over him."

Ziva nodded, "Best not inquire more, or he'll become a beard."

"A bear Ziva, not a beard."

Gibbs smiled quickly and when he met again Tony's eyes, he said, /Well done. /

/Thanks, Boss. Naturally you'll have to find something more convincing for Vance, who, by the way, wants to see you./

/Okay, I'll deal with him now. Keep me updated./

/Of course./

The conversation with Vance went smoothly enough. Gibbs allowed the man to reprimand him for 'sneaking around behind my back' and to ramble about _Casablanca_, and then persuaded Leon to forgive and forget the whole matter as long as it didn't happen again.

They had just ended their conversation, when McGee entered in the office.

"What is it?" Vance asked.

"Director, Boss, Bell's jet just cleared Mexican airspace. Alejandro couldn't stop it." Gibbs had to hide his smile; of course Rivera hadn't stopped it. He wanted Dean out of Mexico and as far as possible from him and his sister. "Filed a flight plan for Virginia."

"How long?" Gibbs asked.

"Five hours."

"We have plenty of time to organize," Gibbs said looking at Vance interrogatively.

The director nodded, "Go for it. Grab Dean as soon as he steps off. Bring him back."

"All right."

Gibbs left the office, followed by McGee. Everything was going as planned and with a bit of luck, Dean would resist the arrest thus offering Gibbs and his team the perfect chance to avenge Lara Macy's death.

**X**

While they waited for Bell's jet to land, Gibbs went down in the lab, to see how Abby was and if she had discovered if the severed finger he had sent to her was really Mike's.

Abby turned around when she heard him enter the lab. "Gibbs!" she exclaimed. She scanned him from head to foot as he stopped in front of her and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am…and Abby that matter with Mexico…It's solved. Once for all."

"The report isn't gonna cause you troubles?" Abby pressed, wanting or needing a clarification.

Gibbs shook his head. "It won't cause any problem…" _Although I wonder where it's ended_.

"But who was behind all of this? Colonel Bell?"

"Yep. He wanted revenge, but then ended up pissing off the Reynosa cartel and they killed him," Gibbs explained, before adding, staring straight into her eyes, "You don't need to know more."

Abby nodded and repeated. "I don't need to know more." Then she blinked her eyes and smiled weakly at him as she said, "That's very good."

Gibbs nodded, as he realized with a slight pang that it would take time for their relationship to return to be what it was—if it would ever do. Sighing inwardly, he looked toward the screen Abby had been looking at when he had arrived and asked, "What can you tell me about the finger? Is it Mike's?"

Abby nodded sadly, "Right index, to be specific. Also known as the forefinger, the _digitus secundus_, pointer finger and the trigger finger."

Gibbs pursed his lips; he had hoped for a different answer, but he hadn't really expected it. "He was alive when it was severed, though?"

"Ducky thinks so. And it was shot off, for whatever it's worth."

The vampire nodded; it confirmed what Rivera had told him.

"Gibbs, do they have him? D... do they have Mike?" Abby asked her bright eyes full of worry.

"No," Gibbs answered. "They don't have him." He took a step forward and pulled the younger woman in an embrace, relieved when she hugged him back without hesitation. "Thank you, Abbs," he whispered against her raven black hair, "and sorry I'm not the man you thought me to be."

Abby pulled slightly back, enough to be able to look at his eyes, and shook her head. "No need to break your rules for me, Gibbs. You aren't perfect. I just realized it the hard way. But, then again, nobody is—and you still are my Silver Haired Fox." She smiled up at him, and this time it reached her eyes. Then she stepped back and added, "Bring me a Caf-Pow! next time you come down here. I didn't have any in two days!"

"I will," Gibbs answered with a nod, and walked away from the lab feeling much more optimistic about the healing of the rift between them then he had been only a few minutes before.

**XXX**

It was very late in the evening when Tony and Gibbs arrived at the older man's house, tired but satisfied.

Three hours before they had tried to arrest J.P. Dean after his landing in Virginia, but he and the other men travelling with him had opened fire, thus giving Tony the pleasure of putting three rounds in the former Army ranger's body.

A KA-BAR knife matching the wounds on both Lara Macy and Merton Bell's neck had been found on Dean's body, and Abby was ready to bet she would find trace of the victims' DNA on the blade. But even if she didn't Ducky's exam was enough for Vance to sentence Dean had killed both Macy and Bell and close the case.

Tony thought the director had been quite happy with the outcome of the gunfight, possibly because Dean's death spared the US Government the costs of putting in him on trial and of keeping him for the rest of his life in a federal prison.

Whatever the case, Vance had told them their reports could wait till the next day, after Ziva's oath ceremony, and to go home and rest.

Rest…yeah, Tony planned to do just that, but not before he kept faith to his words. He had promised to kiss his Boss senseless, and he planned to do just that.

As soon as they reached the bedroom, Tony stepped in front of Gibbs and put his hands on his partner's chest, pushing him toward the bed and then encouraging him to sit down.

The older man obeyed him, observing with interested eyes as Tony quickly got rid of his clothes. Once he was naked, the younger man helped Gibbs to remove his polo and white t-shirt, then straddled his partner's legs and sat down.

Tony hummed in pleasure as their bare chests brushed, enjoying the sensation of hairs rubbing against his nipples. He then raised his hands and cupped Gibbs' jaws, tilting his head slightly up.

"Are you ready for me to keep my promise?"

His partner smiled, showing him his fangs, and Tony lowered his mouth, capturing Gibbs' lips with his own.

He kissed his partner hard, with all the pent-up emotions of the past days, and the older man's mouth opened willingly under his assault, letting Tony's tongue explore its recesses, until Gibbs began to respond, kissing back just as hotly, just as hungrily.

Tony's hands let go of his partner's face and used his hands to roam over broad shoulders and strong muscles, touching and caressing, as their mouths remained locked together, their tongues alternately battling and mating.

When finally the need for air pushed them to separate, Tony looked at his partner and his cock twitched at the sight of Gibbs' dilated pupils, swollen lips and heaving chest. The older man was gorgeous, his soft skin and hard muscles too great temptation to resist.

_I need to taste him_...Tony thought incoherently, and lowered his head to sink his teeth, hard, in the spot where Gibbs' neck joined his shoulder, the same spot where the vampire usually bit him during sex.

Gibbs groaned aloud and his hands tightened on Tony's back as the younger man bit and then sucked on his flesh, then soothed the sting with his tongue.

When he was done, Tony raised his head and looked satisfied at the mark he had left on his partner's neck. He grinned up at Jethro, those eyes darkened even more when he realized what Tony had done.

With a move so quick the younger man couldn't have reacted to, even if he had wanted to, Gibbs switched their position, and Tony found himself lying on his back on the bed, as his partner stood up and quickly removed the rest of his clothes. Naked and aroused, Gibbs towered over Tony for a few seconds, as a predatory smirk appeared on his face.

"Need to mark you too," he growled, dropping down on the bed and straddling Tony's body on his hands and knees.

"Do it, then," Tony urged, raising his arms to pull his partner's down atop him.

Gibbs smirked again and put his mouth at work against the younger man's chest, sliding his tongue against his sternum and settling his lips around a nipple.

Tony whimpered in fiery need, unable to hold back the sound as his partner happily suckled at the hardening nub. Gentle nibbles with teeth and fangs alternated with teasing licks, sending waves of heat to his groin, and Tony pushed his cock against his partner's hip. Each thrust brought Gibbs' erection tapping against his belly, and he felt his boss was as aroused as he was. Tony clutched at the older man's hair, trying to pull him up for another kiss. Gibbs growled softly in warning, and when the younger man's fingers stopped tugging at his head, the vampire nuzzled in to contentedly suckle Tony's other nipple.

Tony lost track of time, drifting on a haze of mindless sensation. He was vaguely aware of stroking Jethro's silver hair, as his hips twisted languidly beneath his partner's body, and their cocks brushed against each other between the bellies.

Gibbs stopped lavishing attention to Tony's chest and surged up, to be face to face with the younger man.

Teasingly, he slowly licked Tony's upper lip, drawing his tongue lightly back and forth several times. The younger man raised his head to capture the teasing tongue with his mouth, but Gibbs pulled back with a smirk. As soon as Tony's head fell again against the pillow, Gibbs dived in again, this time concentrating on his mate's lower lip.

Tony moaned low in his throat and opened his lips, hoping the vampire would accept the invitation, and raised both his hands to cup his partner's head, so that this time he wouldn't be able to pull away.

Gibbs captured Tony's lips in a hard kiss, first plunging his tongue deeply into the other man's mouth, and then suckling Tony's probing tongue into his own mouth.

Their passion rose, and their rocking against each other increased in intensity. By the shivers running along his body, and the tension coiling in his belly, Tony knew he was very close to coming. But he wanted more from this encounter, so he flung his arm on the side, reaching for the bedside table and blindly felt in the drawer, until his fingers closer around what he was looking for.

Gibbs reached out to take the tube, but Tony shook his head. "Let me do this…watch…"

The vampire sat back on his haunches, his lust-darkened eyes following every movement the younger man did.

Tony wasn't very surprised to find his hands were shaking as he opened the tube and poured some lube on his fingers. He just hoped he wouldn't come upon felling his own touch on his hole…that would be really embarrassing. He spread his legs wide and using his left hand to keep his balls out of the way, he used his right one to stretch and prepare himself, acutely aware of how hurried Jethro's breathing was becoming with each passing second.

"I'm ready for you, Jethro," Tony said, when he felt he wouldn't be able to bear the waiting a moment more. He poured more of the cool lube on his fingers and reached eagerly for his partner's cock. He gripped it tightly, running his fingers firmly up and down, slathering it with lubricant and shaking with anticipation as the erection throbbed hotly in his hand.

Gibbs growled and rose to his knees, thrusting instinctively into Tony's fingers. Impulsively the younger man tugged him sharply forward, and Jethro had to reach out with both hands to steady himself on the younger man's chest. With his partner off-balance, Tony positioned the slickened erection against the entrance to his body and wrapped his long legs around his Jethro's waist, then began to pull the older man inside himself.

Gibbs let him control the pace of the entry and Tony avidly watched as Jethro's blue eyes grew darker and smoky with desire and hunger as he sank inexorably inch by inch inside him. They had done it hundreds of times, yet, somehow, the sensations and the wonder stirred by the act of joining their bodies were always new.

Tony did not stop pulling until he felt the soft, wiry curls at his partner's groin entangle with his own.

"Feels good, Jethro," he breathed, "You feel so good inside."

"You too," the vampire murmured, dipping his head to gently kiss his mouth. "Now let me move, 'cause I'm going crazy here."

Tony loosened the clasp of his legs, enabling Gibbs to move. A moan escaped his lips as the Jethro withdrew slightly from his body, then thrust forcefully back in.

The pace of their lovemaking escalated quickly, because they were too excited to take it slow.

Tony bucked under his partner's weight, striving upward to meet the savage lunges, as Jethro clutched the throbbing erection that quivered between them. The strong grip around his cock was everything Tony needed. With an unarticulated shout he went rigid and came, his seed splashing on his overheated skin.

Gibbs thrust one, two, three more times and dropped down over Tony, biting his neck he groaned and shuddered in his own climax.

A few moments later, the vampire pushed himself up with shaking arms and collapsed on the bed beside Tony.

They stayed in silence for several minutes as their breathing gradually returned to normal. Then Gibbs rose to his elbow and reached for Tony's neck, intending to heal the bite he had left there.

"No," Tony murmured. "Let it heal naturally…yours too," he added, touching the reddened mark he had left on Jethro's neck with a gentle finger.

"Okay," his partner murmured and reclined back at his side with a contented sigh.

Tony was aware they should probably stand up and take a shower, but couldn't find the will to leave the bed…and Gibbs didn't seem to have that intention either. The tension and the worries of the past days, and the realization the nightmare had ended were rapidly catching up with them. So Tony simply turned on his side, and posed his head on Jethro's shoulder, embracing his chest with an arm. Gibbs, in turn, surrounded the younger man's back with his own arm, pulling him even closer.

Tony knew it was probable they would end up waking up in a few hours cold and with their skin itching because of dried semen and sweat, but in that moment, he couldn't care less. He just wanted to fall asleep in partner's arms…and he did.

* * *

OK people…there is just one more chapter. You have followed me so far. You have trusted me so far. Trust me a step more and I promise you won't be disappointed. And I authorize you to flame me 'til I roast if I fail to keep my promise that this is and always will be a Gibbs/Tony tale.

Oh, since tomorrow is Christmas, I won't be able to post, BUT if I get a nice number of reviews before I go to bed tonight (around 0030-0100, which is about 1830-1900 US East coast time), I'll post the final chapter before going to sleep. :)

**PS Remember rule #8!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks to tinkerbellblu83 and DreamCatcher for their reviews!**

**A big thank you goes to all the readers who followed this story from the start and let me know it with reviews and PM's. This chapter is my Christmas present to you!**

**Above all, thank you to Finlaure, for the the help, the support and the inspiration for the epilogue.**

**Buon Natale!**

**XXX**

Gibbs was in front of his mirror, trying to adjust his shirt collar and tie to cover the bite mark Tony had left on his neck. Ziva's citizen oath ceremony would start in one hour and he wanted to look at his best for this special occasion. Besides, he didn't want his team and Vance to speculate who had left that hickey on his neck. Although, he thought that maybe Tony would have enjoyed the teasing and the questions about the mark.

Gibbs smiled at his reflection. His mate had gone home to change because he had nothing suitable to wear for the occasion kept here, but would soon return to get him, since they had decided to drive to the ceremony in an agency's sedan instead of their personal cars. Gibbs guessed the younger man was also now arranging his shirt to cover the mark the vampire had left on his skin.

He grinned as he put on his jacket. Everything was fine again. Dean had gotten what he deserved and Mike Franks had called from Mexico a few minutes ago.

His old mentor had informed him that he and his girls were fine, aside for a missing finger and being royally pissed with Rivera and Reynosa for his burnt-down house. Gibbs had managed to convince Mike to calm down and to go to the hospital to have his hand checked, and promised he would use his vacation time to help him to rebuild the house.

Gibbs had just finished combing his hair when the doorbell rang. Who could it be? Tony hadn't had time to go to his apartment, change and drive back.

He went down the stairs to open the door and saw it was M. Allison Hart. His heart started beating faster, but he resolutely calmed himself down. He wasn't going to behave like a school boy with his first crush, no matter what the havoc her vampire pheromones would cause or the fact he was now free to act on his attraction—if he wanted.

But did he really want to? Had someone asked him yesterday, his answer would have been yes. He had been so excited when Tony had given him his permission and he had even started imagining what he would do when he would soon be alone with Allison. However, during the night something must had happened, because while his body was reacting to her presence in the usual way, his mind was calm and focused, with no thoughts of kissing or touching her racing through his head.

Confused by his reaction, Gibbs opened the door and watched as Allison scanned him from head to foot.

"Sharp suit," she then commented, her eyes shining with admiration. "You're clearly supposed to be somewhere in that sharp suit."

He eyed her and the large brief case she was holding and replied, "It's all right."

"Never known you to hang around the house dressed like that, Special Agent Gibbs," Allison commented as she stepped inside and he noticed with interest the use of his title, the first time she had done it spontaneously.

"What's on your mind?" Gibbs asked as he closed the door and followed her in his sparse dining room, where she put her bag on the table.

"Do you really believe in right and wrong? And enforcing the law? Putting the bad guys behind bars? Protecting and serving? Why, of all things...are you a cop?" Allison said as he rummaged into her bag and took out a bound folder, which she then laid on the table.

Gibbs looked at it as she sat down and his eyes widened. It was Abby's report about Pedro Hernandez's murder. This was why it had never arrived to Rivera; Allison had stopped it.

He watched in silence as she pulled two law books from her bag and put them down near the report. "We're both sworn representatives of the law. And we're both supposed to uphold the code," she commented, looking straight into his eyes.

"I've got my own code," he replied, although, of course, Allison was right. He was supposed to uphold to laws and rules.

"No. The vampire code of 'mess with my mate and you're dead' doesn't work in the human society," Allison said, shaking her head firmly. "In this report there's enough evidence to convince some overzealous judge or the Internal Affairs to open an investigation against you, if they match this with the fact Hernandez killed your wife and daughter. This is a bullet that could end your career. Do you think I want that?"

"I didn't ask you to stop it," he said sincerely, aware of the danger she and her family could now be in if he hadn't already dealt with Reynosa and Rivera. "What do you want, Allison? Thank you? An apology?"

"Why the hell not?" she exclaimed.

"Because I've got a...rule against it."

"Well, it's a stupid rule," she retorted, buckling her bag. Gibbs could see the hurt in her eyes. He knew he should act now if he didn't want to lose her.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to offer her more than a whispered, "Maybe it is…"

"I wanted to know who you were," Allison said fiercely. "Who you are. As a person. As a vampire."

He nodded and tilted his head on the side to observe her better as he thought about what he could say. In spite of his experience with women, he always felt himself at loss when he had to deal with them regarding personal matters.

Gibbs saw her eyes widen as her gaze zeroed on his neck and he realized that she was looking at the mark Tony had left—no doubt because his mate had wanted Allison to see it.

Her hand reached out, as if to touch him, and then stopped midway. So Gibbs took her hand with his and pulled it till her fingers brushed his neck.

"Your mate…Agent DiNozzo…left it?" she whispered, her fingers gently stroking over the mark.

"Yes."

"He's very passionate about you."

"I know," Gibbs said softly, looking at her. "He loves me, as much as I love him…Maybe even more, 'cause I don't think I could tolerate sharing him with someone else, while he gave me his permission to be with you if I want, and he did it out of love."

Allison nodded, her cool fingers still moving on his skin. "He's really an extraordinary man. I've never had the good fortune to meet a human like him. All my donors…I always need to put them in trance before drinking…no one had ever bared his neck for me willingly. This is why I seldom drink."

Gibbs looked deeply into her eyes and murmured softly, "Humans like him are rare, but they do exist. Keep looking Allison, and one day you'll meet someone like Tony."

Allison's lips bent in a sad smile. "That means you're not going to take advantage of the permission he gave you?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah…" He shook his head and forced himself to elaborate, knowing she needed him to tell her his reason. "Up to yesterday, I'd have jumped at the idea of being with you. You're a female vampire. You know what effect you have on me. But now I realize I no longer want it. I don't want another mate. I'm completely happy with Tony, and frankly adding you to my clam would be unfair, not just to him, but to you too. You would always been second best to Tony, and that's not right. You deserve more than this."

Allison nodded, the sad, resigned smile still on her lips, "I understand." She picked up her bag and tapping the report she had left on his table, she added, "Should this ever cause you troubles, give me a call. I'm pretty sure we can beat it."

Gibbs stood up and followed her to the foyer. She stopped near the door, and turned to look at him, the longing in her eyes evident.

So he let his fangs descend and bent his head forward, leaning closer until their lips touched.

Their kiss was gentle, tender and comforting, without any hint of the passion Gibbs had imagined there would be when he had fantasized about Allison. It wasn't a welcome kiss. It was a goodbye kiss.

When they separated, Gibbs caressed her lower lip with his thumb and murmured, "Fare thee well, Margaret Allison Hart. May this life and the next one bring you happiness."

"To you too, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, to you too," she replied to their kin's traditional goodbye.

And speaking so, the female vampire opened the door and walked away, from Gibbs' house and his life.

He stood on the doorway, looking in the direction where her car had disappeared, lost in thought. A part of him was surprised by what had happened and by how quickly he had made his mind up. Another part, instead was not.

Maybe he had always known it would have ended like this, no matter what Tony's decision would have been. Maybe he had always known that his belief in being faithful to only one person at time would ultimately be stronger than his instinct to form a clan. Or maybe, during this whole Mexican mess, he had realized he already had a clan. Not a traditional one made by mates, but once composed of people he cared for and who cared for him. Abby, Ducky, Ziva, Tim, Mike and, above all, Tony. They were his clan and, at least in this life, he didn't need to add more members to it.

The honk of a car horn startled him, and Gibbs blinked his eyes. A sedan was parked in front of his driveway and his mate was walking toward him.

"What are you doing there, standing in the doorway and staring? Are you all right?" Tony asked as he stepped onto the small porch.

Gibbs nodded. "Yes, I am. I was just thinking."

"About M. Allison Hart? I passed her car on my way here."

"Yeah. About her and other things."

"Was she here?" Tony asked, and then made an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, not my business. I guess I'll need time to adapt to the idea I won't be able to drop by here unannounced anymore. Listen, why don't you write down some sort of schedule so I-"

"She won't be coming back, Tony," the vampire interrupted him.

Tony frowned, "Why not?"

"Because I told her I already have a mate and I don't need another," Gibbs answered, watching the younger man closely.

"But I told you that you could have her if you wanted," Tony protested. "I don't want you to suffer."

Gibbs frowned. Suffer? Why was Tony thinking he would suffer? What had Bill told him? Pushing those questions away, he said calmly, "I know, and I appreciate it, but I changed my mind."

"You changed your mind?" Tony repeated, his voice rising in anger. "All these months of self-questioning, of wondering if I could do it, of trying to understand you, were all for nothing? Or was it a test?"

/They weren't for nothing,/ Gibbs answered, using their connection to channel thoughts and feelings, hoping they would soothe his mate. /And certainly they weren't a test. I really believed I wanted her. But when the moment came, I realized that I was wrong. I don't want to share myself with anyone else but you./

/You really mean it?/ Tony whispered, and Gibbs didn't miss the relief washing over his mate.

/Yes. This connection between us is special. Unique. Bringing someone else in the mix would be disrespectful of this gift I've been given, and I don't want that. I want to belong completely to you, just as you belong completely to me, for all the time we'll be granted to spend together./

He saw Tony bite his lower lip as his eyes became brighter, and took a step forward, opening his arms in silent invitation. His mate didn't hesitate, and they embraced, hard, right there in front of his house open door, as his neighbors walked by and tilted they head toward them in greeting.

They stood like that for a long time, not talking, just sharing feelings and emotions along their connection, as they basked in each other's warmth, scent, and strength. Then Tony stepped back, with a big, gentle smile on his lips.

"Thank you, Jethro," he simply said.

"No, thank _you_, Tony," Gibbs smiled back.

Tony nodded and taking a deep breath to compose himself, he looked down at his watch and his eyes widened.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, raising his alarmed face to look at the vampire. "Ziva's ceremony starts in twenty minutes!"

Gibbs swore under his breath and pulled the door of his house closed. He quickly stepped down the steps as Tony followed him muttering, "We can't make it to the courthouse in so little time. She will kill us! Abby too!"

Gibbs opened the door of the sedan on the driver side and looking at his mate he said, "If I were you, I'd hold on extra tight, because you're gonna have a full demonstration of how quick vampire reflexes are."

Then he stepped into the car, and started the engine. He waited until Tony fastened his seatbelt, then he asked, "You ready?"

"As much as I can ever be…" Tony answered, but he was smiling. "Come on Boss; get us there at warp speed."

Gibbs grinned back and then dived into the traffic in the direction of DC, his mind already plotting a route that would bring them there in fifteen minutes, tops, and thus give Tony a few minutes to recover…

**Epilogue**

Anthony DiNozzo was drunk. He hadn't been this plastered since the party his frat brothers had given him after graduation. But Tony felt he had learned a very important lesson on his way to this state of inebriation.

Never, never ever try to drink two old Marines under the table. Especially not when you are still feeling the effects of the red-eye flight you caught to get from Washington, DC to Baja, Mexico.

He had landed in Mexico that very morning, to help Gibbs and Mike to complete the new the house the two men had been building, and to spend the remaining of his and his partner's holidays relaxing on a beach.

Gibbs had taken his large accumulation of vacation and travelled to Mexico two weeks before to keep his promise to help Mike to rebuild the house Colonel Bell's men had burned down, leaving Tony behind to man the fort and lead the team in his absence.

Tony had watched his partner leave, disconsolate, and moped about it, until, two days before his 'Uncle Bill' had called with terrible news of a death in Tony's mother's family. Vance had immediately approved leave and Tony took off for two weeks to, go to England for the funeral and to help settle the estate. The young man figured that Vance would never need to know that 'Uncle Bill' had used just a little persuasion in his voice to guarantee that Tony would have no problem with his leave request.

As soon as he had dropped his bags in the trailer house where Mike and Gibbs had been sleeping while Leyla, her mother and Amira lived in a small, rented villa, Tony had started competing with his partner and Franks.

He had said that he could hammer, saw and paint faster and better than either of the older men. The painting challenge had turned into a huge paint fight that ended up involving both Leyla and Amira and resulted in a beautiful rainbow colored room for the little girl.

Then, after dinner, the men had all gone in town for a beer, and Tony had had the brilliant idea to say he could drink more margaritas than his companions.

The result of that dare was the fact only Gibbs' strong grip around his waist was now keeping him upright as they walked – correction, his partner was walking, Tony was stumbling – toward the trailer house, after leaving Mike at the cantina, intent on shamelessly flirting with Camilla the bartender.

As they proceeded toward the soon to be completed house, which wasn't located on a beach, but on a cliff overlooking a long, almost white strip of shore, the cool breeze coming from the ocean cleared Tony's mind, so that he was feeling more lucid when they reached the property.

"This way," Gibbs said, as he led Tony around the south corner of the building, instead of moving toward the trailer house. "I want to show you what I finished working on yesterday."

Tony followed his partner and smiled brightly when he spotted a working hot tub on the house's deck.

"Wow! It looks very nice. Not to mention inviting," he commented.

"You wanna try it?" Gibbs asked, cocking his head.

Tony's smile got broader as he replied, "You can bet I want to try it."

A few minutes later, their clothes discarded on the deck, the two men sat down in the water, letting it soothe away the aches caused by a day of hard work.

They soaked in silence for a while. Then Gibbs began to rub Tony's tense shoulders as he sat behind him in the water.

"Uhm…" the younger man moaned in pleasure, as a certain part of his anatomy began to stir, reminding him it hadn't see any action in two weeks.

"Care to tell me what today was all about?" Gibbs asked, his breath hot against Tony's ear.

"What?"

"The competing, Tony."

"What do you mean with 'competing'?" Tony asked, leaning back into his partner's strong arms, "What wrong with a little competition anyways?"

"Nothing, if it is done for the right reasons. But I'm not sure it was the case today…"

"What do you mean?" The younger man asked as Gibbs began to nibbling his ear.

"Dunno…I just trust that you know you're my one and only, and that you're not thinking Mike or Leyla are a threat to you. Aside the fact you know they aren't my types, I hope you haven't forgotten what I said you the day of Ziva's ceremony. They weren't just idle words."

"I know…It's just…Well, you left to get here only two days after that talk, while I still had to adapt to the idea that you no longer wanted M. Allison Hart as your mate too. Oh, Boss…I feel like I'm suffering from a sort of jet lag. You know how it works…they say you can adapt quickly enough to the first time zone change, but you'll have problems if you switch back to your previous timing without letting enough time pass from a change to the other…"

Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he moved in the hot tub to face Tony, "You are still uncertain of my commitment to you? Of your place in my life?"

"No…Uhm…just dazed…I had two shocks close together…I guess I got the second while I was still adapting to the first one…It's nothing. I know you love me. I know how sincere you were when you said those things…I guess I'm just still a bit confused…" Tony answered, knowing he wasn't making a lot of sense, but unable to be clearer, because he wasn't really sure of what he was feeling. He knew Jethro had been sincere and honest when he had said he didn't want Hart or anybody else. He knew it because he had felt his partner's emotions and feelings as he talked. Yet, he still felt a bit out of sorts.

Tony heard Gibbs emit a low growl a moment before his partner used his vampire speed and strength to heave him out of the hot tub and onto a deck chair, all within a few seconds.

Gibbs grabbed bottle of suntan oil Leyla must had left on the deck and used it to slicken and stretch a surprised Tony.

"We are out in the open!" he protested, even as his body happily caught up with his partner's actions, his cock stiffening quickly to full erection. "What if Mike comes back? What if-" He never completed the line, as Gibbs rolled them over and then picked Tony up by the hips and slowly slid him down his hard cock.

All of Tony's worries disappeared as he felt Jethro's fill him, and he leaned forward, taking possession of Gibbs' mouth. Their tongues battled for dominance as Tony began riding the man he loved with an almost frantic pace.

"Mine!" The younger man panted as sweat and water dripped from his body onto his partners', "I love you so much."

"Yours! Always yours!" Gibbs groaned in answered, thrusting up into Tony almost violently.

The two men kept the punishing, hungry pace on for as long as they could. When Tony started to shiver with his imminent orgasm, Jethro used his strength to sit up and held him closer. A moment later, just as Tony convulsed and came, spurting between their bellies, he felt Gibbs bite him, but not on his neck…Jethro bit him on his chest, right over his heart.

/ Yours is the only blood I'll ever want, for all the time we'll be together. Yours is the only love I'll ever need as long as you will be at my side,/ the vampire almost screamed through their connection.

/Yes!/ Tony answered with his whole heart and mind. All the fears and doubts still lingering in his soul vanished and a peace that he had never known settled into his mind.

When Tony next awoke he was clean and lying in a small but comfortable bed in the trailer house. He was alone and there was no sign of his partner.

Had it been all a dream?

Tony felt the answer at once, as the peace and love still filled his heart and mind. He would never doubt Jethro's love for him again.

The End

* * *

Well, this is done.

To those readers that followed this story till the end, without abandoning it along the way thinking they knew what would happen, I hope you liked it. I hope to have made you see why I've been saying all along Gibbs and Tony's connection would come out of this being stronger than before. Not only they now have a better understanding of each other, but Gibbs' refusal to form a clan even if Tony give him permission to do it shows the depth of his love even more than his promise not to create one if Tony couldn't accept it.

I've been leaving breadcrumbs (about Gibbs' belief in being faithful to only one person, about Bill's not having a similar connection with his mates, about Gibbs fighting his instinct and rejecting Allison's offer in the basement, about Gibbs referring to the team as "his people") all along…they were small, almost unnoticeable, but they all led to this final decision.

Someone who read this final scene in advance asked me why Bill said Tony Gibbs' would suffer if he couldn't have his clan, when Gibbs is making obvious he isn't going to suffer because of it.

The reasons can be more than one: Bill could have exaggerated to make Tony more receptive to the idea of sharing Gibbs— let's not forget that Bill is unable to have children and consider Leroy the "son he will never have". So he might have tried to push Tony to accept Gibbs' needs, because he wanted Gibbs to be happy. Or maybe, since he suffers if he hasn't clan, he guessed Gibbs would suffer too. Or maybe he doesn't realize how deep and fulfilling the connection between Gibbs and Tony is for his fellow vampire. Whatever the reason, Bill was wrong when he said Gibbs would suffer and this is the only important thing!

That being said, I like to experiment with things, so I also wrote a different ending to this story, one where Gibbs acted after Tony gave him leave. This alternate (and non-official, meaning it won't effect this AU in any way) ending is posted on my Live Journal. The link is in my profile if you wish to take a look at it. Please leave a comment if you do. I accept anonymous comments, so there is no need to register on LJ if you don't have an account. I would really like to hear what you think of it. And no, there is no het smut, so don't worry.

As for the rest, I will soon post a short vignette I wrote on a dear friend's request. It's titled "**Surprised Connection**" and I guess it could be considered an epilogue of Complex Connection(s)' epilogue.

After that, I don't know if I will write more in this series. I've no ideas at the moment, so please, if there is something you would like to see happen to Vampire! Gibbs and his mate Tony please let me know. Maybe it will push my recalcitrant Muse back at work…

**Let me know what you think! It will make me post "Surprised Connection" sooner! :)**


End file.
